3 Congress CMs Invited To PM Modi’s BRICS Dinner, But Didn’t Show Up; Rahul Gandhi, Kharge Not Invited

News india 3 Congress CMs Invited To PM Modi’s BRICS Dinner, But Didn’t Show Up; Rahul Gandhi, Kharge Not Invited

3 Congress CMs Invited To PM Modi’s BRICS Dinner, But Didn’t Show Up; Rahul Gandhi, Kharge Not Invited

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Last Updated: September 15, 2026, 07:28 IST

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay was abroad when the dinner was held, while three Congress chief ministers invited to the event also chose not to attend.

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A visual from the 18th BRICS Summit (Photo: X/narendramodi)

Four chief ministers from Opposition-ruled states stayed away from the gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for participants of the 18th BRICS India 2026 Summit on Saturday, according to a Times of India report.

The absence of Opposition chief ministers came even as several chief ministers from BJP-run and allied states attended the dinner, making the gathering appear largely dominated by leaders from the governing alliance. However, official sources told the Times of India that chief ministers from Opposition parties had also been invited but did not attend.

Three Congress CMs Skip Dinner

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay was abroad when the dinner was held, while three Congress chief ministers invited to the event also chose not to attend.

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had accepted the invitation a day before the dinner, on September 12. However, his office later informed the government that he would be unable to attend because of “unavoidable circumstances".

Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan and Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar also skipped the dinner.

However, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi were not invited. The chief ministers of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab were also not invited to the gala dinner.

The decision to invite chief ministers from different states was part of the government’s effort to hold several events linked to BRICS during India’s 2026 presidency across different cities. Official sources described the decision of Opposition chief ministers to stay away as unfortunate.

Who Attended PM Modi’s Dinner?

BRICS heads of state and government attended the dinner along with Union ministers and chief ministers from BJP-run and allied states. CMs reached the venue together in shuttle buses before the reception.

Chief ministers Yogi Adityanath of Uttar Pradesh, Pushkar Singh Dhami of Uttarakhand, Nayab S Saini of Haryana, Bhajan Lal Sharma of Rajasthan, Mohan Yadav of Madhya Pradesh, Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam, Suvendu Adhikari of West Bengal, Rekha Gupta of Delhi, Devendra Fadnavis of Maharashtra and Bhupendra Patel of Gujarat were present.

Most Union ministers, including Amit Shah, Kiren Rijiju, Nirmala Sitharaman, Mansukh Mandaviya and Ashwini Vaishnaw, also attended.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, however, skipped the reception altogether after returning to his hotel to rest, drawing international attention for a separate reason.

Not The First Time Opposition Leaders Skipped

The absence of Opposition chief ministers is not unprecedented. In 2023, several chief ministers, including Siddaramaiah of Karnataka, K Chandrashekar Rao of Telangana, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy of Andhra Pradesh, Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala, Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan, Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh and Naveen Patnaik of Odisha, did not attend the G20 gala dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu.

Similarly, when Yogi Adityanath was sworn in as Uttar Pradesh chief minister in March 2022, several Opposition leaders skipped the ceremony.

There has also been a history of political exchanges over attendance at official events. The BJP has previously accused Rahul Gandhi of skipping solemn state events despite receiving invitations, while Opposition parties have criticised the government for not inviting Gandhi or Kharge to state banquets.

The BRICS Summit, held under India’s 2026 presidency, brought together leaders of the 11-member grouping. The discussions covered multilateralism, reform of global governance, supply chain resilience, climate finance and digital cooperation.

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Quick Answers Powered by Ask News18 Which Opposition chief ministers skipped PM Modi's BRICS 2026 gala dinner despite being invited? Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan, and Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar skipped the dinner. Additionally, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay did not attend as he was abroad at the time. Why did Chinese President Xi Jinping skip the BRICS gala dinner hosted by PM Modi? Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped the gala dinner to return to his hotel and rest. Although he did not attend the reception, China was represented at the dinner by its Foreign Minister, Wang Yi. Were Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge invited to the 2026 BRICS dinner? No, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi were not invited to the gala dinner. The chief ministers of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab were also among those who did not receive invitations. Powered by Ask News18

About the Author Shuddhanta Patra Senior Sub-Editor Shuddhanta Patra is an Indian journalist with about nine years of experience in covering national politics, geopolitics, defence, diplomacy and international affairs. Her reporting focuses on South As... Read More

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First Published: September 15, 2026, 07:23 IST

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