Sponsors no longer want to associate themselves with an event presided over by PM: Rahul

New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday taunted BJP-led Gujarat government after the UK distanced itself from the 2019 Vibrant Gujarat event, saying "sponsors no longer want to associate themselves leaving the stage empty, the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants".

"At the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2019, cynical sponsors no longer want to associate themselves with an event presided over by NoMo (Narendra Modi). They have left the stage, the way he likes it... empty," Gandhi tweeted.

In his tweet, the Congress chief attached an Indian Express newsreport titled 'Vibrant Gujarat Summit: Opted out due to unsatisfactory commercial outcomes, says UK envoy'.

According to the newsreport, the United Kingdom had backed out from being one of the partner countries in the event after the US had decided not to be part of the summit citing unresolved trade issues.

The Vibrant Gujarat event is scheduled to take place from January 18 to 20.

The event started in 2003, two years after Modi took over as the chief minister of Gujarat, was first of its kind in the country.

The news report also highlighted that the UK was not happy with the returns it got on investments made during the summits in 2015 and 2017.