On Friday, September 8, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) took to X, formally Twitter to debunk a Reuters report that suggested 500 Indian businessmen including billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani have been invited to join G20 leaders at a dinner in the national capital on Saturday. PIB Fact Check called the report “misleading.”
Media reports based on an article by @Reuters have claimed that prominent business leaders have been invited at #G20India Special Dinner being hosted at Bharat Mandapam on 9th Sep#PIBFactCheck
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) September 8, 2023
✔️This claim is Misleading
✔️No business leaders have been invited to the dinner pic.twitter.com/xmP7D8dWrL
The official X handle of the PIB Fact Check shared a screenshot showing pictures of Mukesh Ambani- the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries; Gautam Adani- the founder and chairman of the multinational conglomerate Adani Group; N Chandrasekaran- chairman of Tata Sons, Sunil Bharti Mittal- founder and chairman of Bharti Airtel and Kumar Mangalam Birla- the chairman of Aditya Birla Group.
The post read, “Media reports based on an article by @Reuters have claimed that prominent business leaders have been invited at #G20India Special Dinner being hosted at Bharat Mandapam on 9th Sep,” The Press Information Bureau (PIB) went on to call the claim “misleading.”
Notably, on September 6, Reuters published a report with a headline that read, “Indian billionaires Ambani, Adani set to attend G20 summit dinner.”
The report (archived version can be viewed here) quoted two sources as informing that “among the 500 businessmen invited are Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla, Bharti Airtel (BRTI.NS) founder-chairman Sunil Mittal, in addition to Reliance Industries’ (RELI.NS) Ambani and the Adani Group chairman.”
Various Indian mainstream media houses like India Today, India TV, etc. picked up the report published by Reuters. These reports explicitly quoted Reuters and wrote that Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, and Bharti Airtel founder-chairman Sunil Mittal, as well as Reliance Industries’ Ambani and Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, have been invited for the G20 dinner to be held today (Saturday, September 8).
However, PIB Fact Check has debunked the claim made by Reuters specifying that none of the mentioned business leaders have been invited to the G20 India Special Dinner.
The G20 Summit
New Delhi is set to host the Group of Twenty (G20) Heads of State and Government Summit on 9th and 10th September. The 18th G20 Summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies across India under its presidency.
The theme of India’s G20 Presidency is “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth, One Family, One Future”. It is drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad. Essentially, the theme affirms the value of all life – human, animal, plant, and microorganisms – and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe.
Another key focus of the theme is LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) highlighting the Modi government’s dedication to climate change and environment by encouraging environmentally sustainable and responsible choices. The G20 website describes India’s Presidency as the beginning of “Amritkaal”, the 25-year period beginning from the 75th anniversary of its independence on 15th August 2022 leading up to the centenary of its independence.
Members of the G20 include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America, and European Union; Heads of States and Governments along with delegates will be in attendance.
However, Chinese President Xi Jinping will reportedly give the global event a miss. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will be attending in place of Jinping. Reports claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin will also not be attending the Summit.
Besides, heads of regional organizations invited include the African Union (AU), the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), and ASEAN. India is also inviting some international organisations as guests including International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and Asian Development Bank (ADB).
A G20 Leaders’ Declaration is expected to be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit, stating leaders’ commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings.
