Media reports on Saturday claimed the Central government had dropped the names of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia from an event to be attended by US First Lady Melania Trump.
Melania, who is accompanying her husband, President Donald Trump, was to visit a Delhi government school on Tuesday. News agency ANI quoted Delhi government sources as saying the names of both Kejriwal and Sisodia had been dropped from the event. The sources added "both were to attend the programme since the school comes under Delhi government".
NDTV reported Kejriwal and Sisodia were to "welcome Melania Trump at the south Delhi government school". The exact name of the school has not been revealed due to security reasons. The US first lady is expected to spend an hour at the school.
Sisodia had told mediapersons on Saturday that the AAP government had got a request for a visit to a school from the US embassy.
Abhijeet Dipke, a member of the AAP's social media team, tweeted, "… Modi wants to take credit for Kejriwal education model. Hence Central Govt doesn't want Kejriwal to be a part of Melania Trump's visit to Delhi Govt School."
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor took to Twitter to criticise the dropping of Kejriwal and Sisodia from the Melania Trump event, saying such snubs were introduced by the Modi government. Tharoor tweeted, "This kind of petty politics in selectively sending invitations for official occasions was introduced by the Modi Govt &is unhealthy for our democracy. Exclusion of the Opposition from @RashtrapatiBhvn banquets &PrimeMinisterial receptions may seem trivial, but it undermines India."
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Responding to the claims that Sisodia and Kejriwal had been dropped, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told mediapersons, "Petty politics should not be played on important occasions. Indian government doesn't advise US to whom to invite and whom to not..."
Earlier, PTI reported that no opposition leader will officially meet Trump. This is the first time no delegation of the principal opposition party will be meeting a visiting US president.
