Flying to Italy for G7 to salvage diminished int'l image: Cong slams PM

The Congress on Thursday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his first visit abroad in his third term, saying he is flying to Italy to "salvage his diminished international image" at this year's G7 Summit.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the G7 Summit of the heads of state of USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, UK and Japan has been taking place since the late 1970s.

Between 1997 and 2014, Russia was also a member, he pointed out.

Since 2003, India, China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa have also been invited to G7 Summits, Ramesh said.

The most famous of the G7 Summits from India's point of view was in June 2007 in Helligendamm in Germany as it was here that the famous Singh-Merkel formula for ensuring equity in global climate change negotiations was first presented to the world, he said.

"It is still talked about. Dr. Manmohan Singh and German Chancellor Angela Merkel created history. Dr. Manmohan Singh had emerged as the voice of the Global Sou