Six of 12 Opposition CMs, two former PMs to give G20 dinner a miss: Report

A source close to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddarmaiah told DH that the CMO has officially communicated the CM's absence at the gala dinner citing ‘pre-engagement’.

At least six of the 12 chief ministers belonging to Opposition parties are expected to skip the G20 dinner to be hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday evening, The Hindu reported on Friday.

Sources told the publication former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and H D Deve Gowda won’t be attending the dinner either, citing poor health.

A source close to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddarmaiah told Deccan Herald that the CMO has officially communicated his absence at the gala dinner citing ‘pre-engagement’. However, the source added that in reality, the CM's absence could be attributed to dissatisfaction over Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge not figuring in the guest list.

The Hindu now reports that Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel are also likely to give the event a miss. Both have cited health reasons, with Gehlot reportedly citing fractured toes. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has also confirmed he is skipping the event.

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Sources also told the publication that although he has not cited any reasons, Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar Rao is unlikely to attend, and that Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy will return from London only on September 12. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan is learnt to have confirmed his absence without citing any reason for the same.

Among those presently attending are AAP leaders and chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren (who is giving the Enforcement Directorate's summons a miss), Bihar CM and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar, Tamil Nadu CM and DMK chief M K Stalin, West Bengal CM and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu - who is the only Congress leader reportedly attending.