Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not travel to Kuala Lumpur for the upcoming Asean Summit, it was reported on Thursday, which means he will miss a possible meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines.

The Opposition was quick to pounce on the development to needle the prime minister once again over the state of US-India ties under Modi and his friend Trump.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a Facebook post on Thursday that Modi had personally conveyed his decision during a phone call late Wednesday night.

“Last night, I received a phone call from my counterpart, the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Narendra Modi, to discuss efforts to strengthen Malaysia–India bilateral relations to a more strategic and comprehensive level,” Anwar wrote.

“India remains an important partner for Malaysia in the fields of trade and investment, as well as in close cooperation in technology, education, and regional security. We also discussed the upcoming 47th ASEAN Summit to be held in Kuala Lumpur at the end of this month.

He informed me that he would attend virtually, as the Deepavali celebrations will still be taking place in India at that time. I respect his decision and extended my Deepavali greetings to him and to the people of India. Malaysia remains committed to strengthening Malaysia–India relations and further enhancing ASEAN–India cooperation toward a more peaceful and prosperous region,” Anwar wrote.

Reports suggest that external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is expected to represent India in person at the Kuala Lumpur meeting.

A report in Mint on Wednesday had claimed Delhi and Washington were close to finalising the long-delayed trade deal and that it would be announced at the Asean summit. Thursday's development pours cold water on such hopes.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote on X: “For days the speculation has been - will He or won't He? Will Mr. Modi go to Kuala Lumpur for the Summit or not?”

“Now it appears certain that the PM will not go. It means the loss of so many opportunities to hug and get photo ops with world leaders or to flaunt himself as the self-styled Vishwaguru.”

“The reason why Mr. Modi is not going is simple. He just doesn't want to be cornered by President Trump who will also be there. He refused an invitation to attend the Gaza peace summit in Egypt a few weeks back, precisely for this reason.”

Posting two video clips of Trump, Ramesh also wrote: “Posting messages in praise of President Trump on social media is one thing. But to be seen hobnobbing physically with the man who has claimed 53 times that he stopped Op Sindoor and has claimed 5 times that India has promised to stop buying oil from Russia is another matter. It’s far too risky for him.”

“The PM may well be recalling that old hit Bollywood number: Bachke re rehna re baba, bachke rehna re.”

Tensions between the US and India have persisted since President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on Indian exports, citing New Delhi’s continued purchase of discounted crude oil from Moscow.

Earlier this week, Trump told reporters that he had spoken to Modi about the issue. “We talked about a lot of things, but mostly the world of trade,” Trump said, adding that Modi had assured him India would curb oil imports from Russia. “He’s not going to buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see that war end as much as I do,” Trump added.

Trump has repeatedly criticised India’s continued imports of Russian crude despite Western sanctions, warning that any tariff relief could hinge on India’s willingness to scale back those purchases.