No Petty Politics: BJP After Kejriwal, Sisodia Dropped From Melania Trump's School Visit

Patra distanced itself from the development and said instead of indulging in “petty politics” on important occasions, all the parties should focus on welcoming the guest.

Sambit Patra distanced itself from the development and said instead of indulging in “petty politics” on important occasions, all the parties should focus on welcoming the guest.

New Delhi: "There should not be petty politics over that," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra responded to a question over the names of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia being dropped from the US First Lady Melania Trump's visit to Delhi government schools on Tuesday. When questioned over the reports, Patra distanced itself from the development and said instead of indulging in “petty politics” on important occasions, all the parties should focus on welcoming the guest. He also said, “it does not influence the US on who to invite or not.” Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Patra told the media that the government of India represents all Indians and political affiliations should not count on such an occasion. This comes after the Delhi government sources revealed that Kejriwal and Sisodia's names have been dropped from the list of dignitaries who will accompany the US First Lady during her February 25 visit to Delhi government schools here. The development is significant as she will be witnessing the AAP government's flagship happiness curriculum that was introduced by Sisodia two years ago in an attempt to reduce stress among school children. It involves 40 minutes of meditation, relaxing and outdoor activities. Taking on the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre, AAP's National Executive member Preeti Sharma Menon in a tweet responded to the media reports. She said: "There is no match for the pettiness of Narendra Modi. You may not invite Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, but their work speaks for them." AAP Minister Gopal Rai during a press conference though said that he has no knowledge of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister being dropped from the guest list of Melania Trump's visit to government schools. "We have not received any official information on the same. And till the time we don't receive any official information regarding the same, we are not in a position to comment on it," Rai said. According to senior Delhi government sources, the US First Lady is likely to visit schools in south Delhi and see first-hand the impact of the 'happiness curriculum' introduced by Delhi's AAP government in 2018. Trump is scheduled to visit India on February 24 and 25. The couple will spend the first day of the trip in Gujarat's Ahmedabad and Uttar Pradesh's Agra before moving to Delhi for the official reception and bilateral talks. This is Donald Trump's first state visit to India and also a first standalone visit by a US President to India. (with inputs from agencies)