NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday slammed Congress after three of its chief ministers skipped the dinner for Brics leaders hosted by the government, accusing them of “prioritising partisan politics over the national interest.“At a press conference, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj asked Congress whether, in opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it had begun opposing India as well.“Political and ideological differences can always exist in politics. But when it comes to India and national interest, there should be no room for personal animosity or discord,” Bansuri said.“It is distressing that when the three chief ministers from the Congress party were invited to the Brics summit dinner, they prioritised partisan politics over the national interest …. I would like to ask Congress – in your opposition to PM Modi, have you now started to oppose India as well?” she added.BJP MP’s remarks came after official sources said that CMs hailing from opposition parties were also invited for Brics dinner but did not attend the event.
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While Tamil Nadu CM Vijay was abroad, three Congress CMs invited for the dinner chose to skip it.A day before the dinner on September 12, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy had accepted the invitation for the dinner hosted by PM Modi. However, Reddy’s office later conveyed to govt that he would be unable to attend due to “unavoidable circumstances”.Two other Congress chief ministers, V D Satheesan of Kerala and D K Shivakumar of Karnataka, also skipped the dinner.The decision to invite CMs of different states for the dinner for BRICS leaders was in keeping with govt’s move to host numerous events related to the grouping during India’s presidency across various cities, and the decision of opposition CMs to skip it was unfortunate, the sources said.
