New Delhi/Washington:
Wharton Business School has yet to decide on who will replace Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi as the keynote speaker at its India Economic Forum to be held later this month.
Sources said that though activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal will address the event via video conference, reports that declare he is the new main speaker are incorrect.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, and Junior Education Minister Shashi Tharoor are other prominent politicians who have reportedly been approached to attend the conference on March 22-23, which is organised largely by students.
(Read: Rahul Gandhi too on Wharton wishlist for event that dropped Narendra Modi)Sources said that Mr Gandhi was invited much before a controversy erupted over Mr Modi, who was dropped unceremoniously on Sunday night from the event because of pressure from the prestigious business school's management and alumni.
In an apparent show of loyalty, the Adani Group, which is headquartered in Gujarat, pulled out last night as the main sponsor of the Wharton India Economic Forum.
A signature campaign at Wharton lobbied stridently against Mr Modi's visit, arguing that "This is the same politician who was refused a diplomatic visa by the United States State Department on March 18, 2005 on the ground that he, as Chief Minister, did nothing to prevent a series of orchestrated riots that targeted Muslims in Gujarat."
In 2002, Mr Modi was in office when communal riots lacerated his state, killing nearly 1200 people, most of them Muslims. His critics have alleged that he was complicit in the riots, an accusation which has not been proven in court and has been denied by the chief minister and his party.