Chavan to recieve Obama at Mumbai airport

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and Protocol Minister Suresh Shetty will receive US President Barack Obama at the airport here on Saturday as the representatives of the state along with Union Minister Salman Khurshid.

"The Ministry of External Affairs has told us that the chief minister and the protocol minister would receive Obama on his arrival at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport," an official from the chief minister's office said.

Khurshid has been chosen by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to be the minister-in-waiting for Obama.

Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and Home Minister R R Patil have also been invited for a speech against terrorism by the President, scheduled at the Taj hotel in the afternoon.

However, the ministers have not confirmed whether they will attend the function or not, an official from Mantralaya (state secretariat) said.

Senior ministers and bureaucrats in Maharashtra were upset after personal details were sought from them by the US Consulate here for attending programmes during Obama's visit to the city.

"In the invitation to me, the Chief Minister, Home Secretary and others, a form is attached in which they have asked for PAN number, photo, passport number and other details...The host is asking for details from a guest he is inviting. If he doesn't know who this guest is, then why is he inviting," a miffed Bhujbal said yesterday.

The US Consulate in Mumbai, however, has apologised and described it as a "clerical error"

Bhujbal and Patil may not attend the function, the Mantralaya official said adding that Home Secretary Chandra Iyengar, Mumbai Director General of Police D Sivanandan and Police Commissioner Sanjeev Dayal would also stay away from the function as they would be busy handling security.

Obama will arrive at the city airport at 12.50 pm from where he will proceed to the Taj hotel and make a statement to commemorate the 26/11.