In a sharply worded post, the Congress leader referred to Modi as the ‘Super Premium Frequent Flier PM,’ who has already embarked on 93 foreign tours before the current Ghana visit
NEW DELHI — As Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues his foreign jaunts with a stop in Ghana, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to the social media platform X to highlight the historical foundations of India-Ghana relations. He drew particular attention to the deep personal and political ties between the country’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Ghana’s founding father, Kwame Nkrumah.
In a sharply worded post, Ramesh referred to Modi as the “Super Premium Frequent Flier PM,” who has already embarked on 93 foreign tours before this journey, while contrasting the current government’s foreign policy style with what he called the more substantive and visionary approach of the Nehru era.
Because of Modi’s habit of gloating, Ramesh underscored Nehru’s long-standing camaraderie with Nkrumah, which he said predated Ghana’s independence in March 1957. He noted that Nehru’s connection with Africa was not transactional but rooted in a larger vision of anti-colonial solidarity and global justice.
A prominent road in Ghana’s capital, Accra — where India House is located — is named after Nehru. In return, India’s diplomatic enclave in New Delhi features a Kwame Nkrumah Marg, reflecting mutual respect between the two leaders and their nations.
Ramesh recalled Nkrumah’s extensive visit to India from December 22, 1958, to January 8, 1959, during which he travelled to multiple Indian cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Agra, and Pune, and spent five days in Bengaluru and Mysuru. Nkrumah visited key Indian institutions such as the Trombay Atomic Energy Establishment, Bhakra Nangal Dam, the National Physical Laboratory, and the National Defence Academy. One of the outcomes of this visit, Ramesh noted, was India’s support in establishing the Ghanaian Air Force.
The Congress leader also highlighted Nehru’s deep intellectual and political engagement with Africa, referencing a speech delivered on August 5, 1955, at the inauguration of the Department of African Studies at Delhi University — an initiative taken even before the formal wave of decolonisation began on the continent. In that speech, Nehru stressed the moral and political imperative of understanding Africa, saying, “You ignore the study of Africa at your peril… I have a tremendous feeling of atonement of humanity… the way Africa and the people of Africa have been treated for hundreds of years.”
While Ramesh did not directly criticise the content of Modi’s visit, his post implicitly positioned the Congress-era foreign policy as one marked by long-term vision and solidarity with the Global South, in contrast to what he suggested were the optics-driven international tours of the current prime minister.
The post concluded with a link to a relevant video and the historical quote, placing Nehru’s Afro-Asian solidarity at the centre of the discussion during Modi’s Ghana stop.
