Gandhi, Kharge to skip Invest Karnataka summit in B’luru

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi will not attend the Invest Karnataka 2025 summit in Bengaluru, which begins on Wednesday. While official communication cites their commitments in Parliament as the reason, leaders in the know indicate growing unease within the party over the event’s guest lineup.

In an official statement, AICC General Secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh confirmed their absence, attributing it to their involvement in the ongoing budget debate. “Both the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi are extremely tied up in Parliament today on account of the continuing debate on the Budget. Hence, they have regretted their inability to attend the inauguration of the Karnataka Investor Summit this evening in Bengaluru,” Ramesh posted on X.

He added that both leaders extended their best wishes and expressed confidence in Karnataka’s potential to host a productive summit.

However, party insiders suggest that the prominence given to Union ministers and BJP leaders, despite the summit being organized by the Congress-led Karnataka government, has raised concerns. The placement of Kharge and Gandhi’s names below those of some Union ministers on the official invitation has reportedly added to the dissatisfaction.” The state government has been called to account for this by the party’s central leadership,” said a senior leader who didn’t want to be named.

The Invest Karnataka 2025 summit, themed “Reimagining Growth”, is a three-day global investors’ meet aimed at drawing large-scale investments into the state. Karnataka’s Minister for Large and Medium Industries, M B Patil, has stated that the government anticipates investment proposals worth ₹10 lakh crore, with a target of converting at least 70% of them into actual projects.