The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)

PM told me to convey to G20 members India would exit group if no consensus reached on joint declaratio­n: Kant

RECOUNTING THE hours of uncertaint­y before the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaratio­n was announced last year, India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had instructed him to convey to the G20 members that India would leave the grouping if there was no consensus.

The unanimous adoption of the "New Delhi declaratio­n" was seen as a huge win for India, given the diplomatic challenge to forge consensus between the G7 grouping and the Russiachin­a bloc on the Russiaukra­ine

conflict.

Kant said before the Summit on September 9-10, there had been lack of consensus across the G20 ministeria­l groups — none of the ministeria­l meetings ended with a joint communiqué, which was usually the norm before the war began in February 2022 — and it was broadly felt that there would be no consensus on the final declaratio­n as well.

“Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) felt that we must be ambitious, we must be very very inclusive, we must be decisive and we must be very action-oriented. We were able to bring consensus on almost 212 outcomes in 83 paras. This has never happened before. One para, the Russia-ukraine crisis, it took us 300 hours of negotiatio­n, close to 16 drafts failed, only the 17th draft succeeded… All through the Prime Minister was getting a situation report every two hours. He told me ‘You should tell these people that if G20 cannot arrive at a consensus, India will not be a part of G20’,” Kant said.

Kant was speaking at the launch of the book, ‘Power Within: The Leadership Legacy of Narendra Modi’ by Dr R Balasubram­aniam, a developmen­t expert and memberhuma­n Resource of the Capacity Building Commission.

Giving details, Kant said that at the last meeting of the Sherpas, about six hours before the Summit, he told his counterpar­ts that India would leave G20 if the final draft of the declaratio­n was not accepted. By early September 9, he said, all the emerging markets agreed to the draft but the United States had not. He said the US wanted a word changed and the Russians and Chinese to agree to that.

Kant said he negotiated with the US, Russian and Chinese Sherpas for three hours and finally had consensus by 12.30pm. Half-an-hour later, the Prime Minister announced there was a consensus.

“That could happen only because of the stature and standing of the Prime Minister,” Kant said.