Following the cancellation of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s keynote address at the Wharton India Economic Forum, it transpires that main sponsor Gautam Adani, chairman of Gujarat-headquartered Adani group, opted out of the event some time ago.
“Mr Adani had conveyed his inability to join Wharton India Economic Forum long back as he has other pressing commitments,” a group spokesperson said here today.
“Our participation at the event is just by way of sponsorship,” he said. The prestigious Wharton school yesterday cancelled the keynote address of Gujarat chief minister following uproar from a section of university professors and students.
The Forum, an annual India-centric conference, is hosted by the Wharton school of the university of Pennsylvania.
Modi had been invited to deliver the keynote address at the Forum to be held in Philadelphia on March 22-23 via video-conference, and Adani group was the platinum sponsor of the event. Post 2002 Godhra riots, Gujarat CM has been denied US visa, but recently US-India business Council had participated in the state’s biennial event Vibrant Gujarat Summit-2013 in January.
Earlier in the day, former Union minister and Shiv Sena leader Suresh Prabhu had said he was calling off his visit to Wharton in protest against cancellation of Modi’s address.