New Delhi [India], October 21 : Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over not meeting demands for visit to Manipur since ethnic violence broke out in the state last year and said as he visits Kazan in Russia for BRICS Summit, there is "a solid pre-2014 history" to the summit.
PM Modi will visit Russia on October 22, 23 to attend the 16th BRICS Summit, being held in Kazan.
In a post on X, Jairam Ramesh said the first BRICS Summit took place in Russia in 2009, when Congress-led UPA government was in power at the Centre.
"Tomorrow the BRICS plus Summit begins in Kazan, Russia. Like most things the non-biological PM claims credit for, there is a solid pre-2014 history to such a Summit.It was in November 2001 that the British economist Jim O' Neill first coined the term BRIC--Brazil, Russia, India & China---to draw attention to a quartet that could become major economic powers of the world by 2050," he said.
"In Sept 2006, Foreign Ministers of these four countries met in New York to explore how they could give political weight to O'Neill's economic concept. In June 2009, the Presidents of China, Brazil, and Russia, and the Prime Minister of India, met in Russia for the first ever BRIC Summit. South Africa was included in the group two years later when BRIC became BRICS," he added.
The Congress leader said that India hosted the BRICS Summit in March 2012.
"Now BRICS includes Egypt, Iran, UAE, and Ethiopia as full members. A number of other countries are waiting to join. The New Development Bank formally launched by BRICS in July 2014 is headquartered in Shanghai. Kazan certainly beckons but sadly Manipur still awaits," Jairam Ramesh said.
Congress has repeatedly called upon PM Modi to visit Manipur, which has witnessed ethnic violence since May last year.
The BRICS Summit in Kazan is themed 'Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security and will provide an important platform for leaders to discuss key global issues.
The Ministry of External Affairs said in a release that the Summit will offer a valuable opportunity to assess the progress of initiatives launched by BRICS and to identify potential areas for future collaboration.
During his visit, the Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from BRICS member countries and invited leaders in Kazan, Russia.