Kharge, Rahul tied up in Parliament, can't make it to 'Invest Karnataka': Congress

This comes after reports of the two leaders skipping the event due to them getting 'upset' over Union ministers and BJP leaders getting prominence at the event hosted by the Congress government in Karnataka.

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi will not be attending the inauguration of the Invest Karnataka Summit in Bengaluru on Tuesday evening due to their preoccupation with Parliament.

AICC general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said both Kharge and Gandhi are tied up in Parliament for the debate on the budget and have sent their best wishes to the Karnataka government.

"Both the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and @INCIndia President Shri Mallikarjun @kharge and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Shri @RahulGandhi are extremely tied up in Parliament today on account of the continuing debate on the Budget.

"Hence they have regretted their inability to attend the inauguration of the Karnataka Investor Summit this evening in Bengaluru," Ramesh said in a post on X.

"They have sent their best wishes for the Summit and are confident that it will be a very productive and successful one in keeping with Karnataka's unique competitive and comparative advantages," the Congress leader also said.

The 'Invest Karnataka 2025' global investors meet will be inaugurated this evening while the main sessions will be held from February 12 to 14 with the theme "Reimagining Growth".

The event will see several top industrialists as well as some global investors attending it.

The event is being organised by the Karnataka government to attract global investment in the state, highlighting its strategic advantages in fostering innovation, industrial development and global partnerships.

It is expected that investment proposals worth Rs 10 lakh crore, with a target of realising at least 70 per cent of these commitments like fostering innovation, industrial development and global partnerships, would be made at the three-day event, according to Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries M B Patil.

While Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the summit in the presence of Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will preside over the inaugural session.