No business leaders have been extended invitations to the G20 India dinner set to take place at Bharat Mandapam on Saturday, according to PIB Fact Check, the central government’s agency responsible for debunking fake news and misinformation.
Some media reports had suggested that the dinner would serve as an occasion to assemble India’s prominent figures during the leaders’ summit, with purported invitations extended to around 500 business magnates, including notable figures such as Gautam Adani from the Adani Group, Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries, N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla, and Sunil Mittal, founder-chairman of Bharti Airtel.
“Media reports based on an article by Reuters have claimed that prominent business leaders have been invited to G20 India Special Dinner being hosted at Bharat Mandapam on 9th Sep. This claim is misleading. No business leaders have been invited to the dinner,” in a social media post shared on Friday,” the Press Information Bureau’s fact check unit said in a statement.
The national capital welcomed foreign delegates and leaders from around the world for the two-day G20 Summit, held at the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre complex in the Pragati Maidan area. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the complex early Saturday morning to receive the world leaders.
Following the first day of the summit, President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to host a grand dinner at Bharat Mandapam. The event will be attended by world leaders such as US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Bin Salman, and Japan’s Fumio Kishida, among others. In addition to foreign delegates, invitations have been extended to cabinet ministers, state chief ministers, and former prime ministers, among other guests.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be attending the meeting and will be represented by Premier Li Qiang, while Russia’s Vladimir Putin will also be absent, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov taking his place.