Emcee for PM Narendra Modi reception chosen on merit, Australian organiser says

MELBOURNE: Seeking to end the controversy, the organiser of the recently-held community reception for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Sydney today said that the selection for the role of emcee for the event was not based on any beauty pageant title but was purely on merit.

Calling reports as "completely baseless" that the emcee role was awarded to Rashi Kapoor based on her winning a particular beauty pageant, Indian Australia Community Foundation (IACF) spokesperson Balesh Singh said "Rashi had won the role of Emcee after a rigorous process of audition which was followed and not because she held any beauty pageant title".

"Rashi got the role based on her personal merit," Singh clarified adding that the criteria of having a beauty pageant title did not exist.

Rashi, who was accused of falsely representing the beauty pageant title by the organiser, Miss India Australia Corporation, said she had never claimed the title and was misrepresented by media.