MK Stalin is lone CM from the South at G20 dinner; Congress CMs reject invite over Kharge snub

Stalin’s DMK as well as the Congress are alliance partners in the Opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc.

Accompanied by DMK senior leader and the party’s Lok Sabha floor leader TR Baalu and bureaucrats, Stalin reached Delhi on Saturday afternoon. However, he did not meet the press.

The chief minister will attend the dinner held at Bharat Mandapam, the new convention centre — built at a cost of ₹ 2,700 crore — that was opened by Prime Minister Modi on 26 July.

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Four South CMs skip dinner

Chief ministers of other South Indian states, Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah, and Telangana’s K Chandrashekar Rao had turned down the invitations.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will miss the dinner as he is currently in London and is expected to return only on 12 September.

The Chief Ministers’ Offices of Vijayan and Rao have not given any reason for skipping the dinner hosted by the President. Siddaramaiah, as a Congress government head, turned down the invite in protest after an invitation was not extended, in violation of protocol, to Mallikarjun Kharge.

Sources in the DMK said that the difference between the BJP and DMK were political, and Stalin’s decision to accept the dinner invitation and participate in the event is on the lines of state affairs and was a purely administrative decision.

The party sought to draw a clear line between political and administrative decisions.

“The chief minister decided to attend the meeting only after consultation with the other INDIA bloc leaders. He accepted the invitation as it is an honor given to the people of the state,” a senior DMK told South First.

When asked about other southern state chief ministers skipping the meeting, the DMK leader said: “West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal, all from INDIA bloc, are also attending the meeting and it has nothing to do with the INDIA bloc alliance.”

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Row over the dinner invitation

It is to be noted that the dinner invitation sent by the Union Ministry of External Affairs to the guests, including the chief ministers of the states, had sparked a controversy as Droupadi Murmu was referred to as “President of Bharat” against the conventional practice of President of India.

In a rather unprecedented move, an official invite from the President of India reads 'President of Bharat' instead of India.

Makes us wonder what could be the possible politics or intention behind this action.

Then we also read that the change has come after the RSS Chief has… pic.twitter.com/Odo2hhWMOI

— Kanimozhi (கனிமொழி) (@KanimozhiDMK) September 5, 2023

DMK leader and Stalin’s sister Kanimozhi had even tweeted that the move makes us wonder what could be the possible politics or intention behind this action.

Sources in the Tamil Nadu Secretariat told South First that after attending the dinner on Saturday night, the chief minister will return to Chennai on Sunday afternoon.

It is to be noted that on December 5, 2022, Stalin had participated in the preparatory meeting for the G20 summit that was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.