Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival at the 15th BRICS summit in South Africa took an unexpected turn as reports emerged of a welcoming protocol dispute between India and the host nation.
According to the Indian news website The Wire, Modi allegedly refused to disembark from his aircraft on Tuesday due to what was perceived as a lack of seniority in the welcoming delegation from the South African government.
This incident was reported by the South African news outlet Daily Maverick, quoting government officials. The disagreement reportedly centred on the level of official reception for the Indian prime minister.
Contrarily, the spokesperson for South African Vice President Paul Mashatile clarified that the plan was always for Mashatile to welcome Modi, and he was present at the Waterkloof Air Base near Johannesburg, where the BRICS summit was underway.
Daily Maverick reported that initially, a cabinet minister was sent to receive Modi at the air base, and the Indian prime minister reportedly declined to get off his plane.
On Wednesday, Daily Maverick found itself compelled to temporarily restrict website access from India in response to a significant distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that resulted in the crashing of the publication's website mere hours after the release of the report on Modi.
Following the publication of the article titled "Tough Love Triangle: While Ramaphosa focused on Xi, Modi threw a tantrum and refused to get off his plane," Daily Maverick's website encountered an influx of 36.1 million HTTP requests from servers located in India.
Meanwhile, Karen Allen, a consultant at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Johannesburg, told Daily Maverick that the DDoS attack was unfortunate, but said it is hard to say whether the attack could be directly linked to the story on Modi.
Modi's plane incident stood in stark contrast to the welcome received by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was personally greeted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa upon his arrival.
The incident unfolded against the backdrop of diplomatic tensions and ongoing strategic manoeuvres between India and China.
The recent context of India-China relations includes a series of border disputes and military standoffs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto boundary between the two countries.
A standoff in the Galwan Valley in 2020 marked a particularly serious escalation in the relationship, leading to casualties on both sides.
Despite these challenges, both India and China are members of the BRICS alliance, which also includes Brazil, Russia and South Africa.
The annual BRICS summit serves as a platform for these emerging economies to discuss cooperation, economic growth and global issues.
As the controversy unfolded during the BRICS summit, South African officials emphasized that proper protocol had been followed, and there was no intent to undermine India’s representation.
South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) maintained that welcoming heads of state during working visits is common practice, and any reported tensions were not accurate.
Ramaphosa managed to address any potential misunderstandings by greeting Modi during a scheduled photo opportunity.
The summit brought together leaders from different corners of the world, including Modi, Xi, Ramaphosa and Lula Da Silva.
Notably, Russian President Vladimir Putin participated virtually due to concerns stemming from an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for him.
While the controversy initially grabbed attention, the leaders’ subsequent interactions at the summit aimed to keep the focus on the collective goals of the BRICS alliance.
