American President Donald Trump visited India last month. A Dinner was hosted in Rashtrapathi Bhavan on this occasion. The Chief Ministers of Telangana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam, Haryana and Bihar were invited for the Dinner and they have attended.
Ignoring Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has become a big issue. There were allegations and counter allegations about why Jagan was not invited to the Dinner. Minister Botsa Satyanarayana minced no words in saying that Jagan is the Most Popular Leader in the country and so was intentionally ignored.
Political Rivals of Jagan alleged that Government of India did not want to showcase a tainted leader before the American President. Hyderabad-based RTI Activist filed an RTI application with the Prime Minister’s Office asking the criteria for the selection of the guests.
He also asked if there is a specific reason for ignoring the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister. The PMO has replied like – “The President of India hosts State Banquet for visiting Head of State as and when required. Being the host it is the prerogative of the President as to who should be invited for the banquet”.
