Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda on Friday said he won't be attending the G20 dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu due to health reasons. Deve Gowda, who has been invited to the high-profile dinner on September 9, said he has communicated his decision to the government and wished the G20 Summit a grand success.
“I will not be attending the G20 dinner organised by the Hon. President of India Draupadi Murmuji, on 09 September 2023, due to health reasons. I have already communicated this to the government. I wish the G20 summit a grand success,” the Janata Dal (Secular) president wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also been invited to the G20 Summit dinner, reported ANI quoting sources. Ahead of the mega event in the national capital, Manmohan Singh, in an interview with The Indian Express, said he was glad to witness India's presidency of the G20 Summit at a time when foreign policy has become far more important today than ever.
He also appreciated the government's move to put India's sovereign and economic interest first while handling the tough diplomatic position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, adding that other nations fall under immense pressure to choose sides when two or more powers are caught in a conflict.
{{/usCountry}}He also appreciated the government's move to put India's sovereign and economic interest first while handling the tough diplomatic position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, adding that other nations fall under immense pressure to choose sides when two or more powers are caught in a conflict.
{{/usCountry}}Diginatories from across the world have started arriving in Delhi to participate in the G20 Summit under India's presidency.
A state-issued invite for the G20 dinner surfaced on social media a few days back, triggering a major political controversy as it was sent in the name of ‘President of Bharat’ instead of the usual ‘President of India’. The invitation card sparked speculations that the government was planning to replace the official usage of the country's English name ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’. While the speculations triggered enthusiastic support from the ruling BJP quarters, the government has not confirmed the widely speculated move.