When the PM had Ratan Tata, Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Mittal in splits

Top industrialists including Ratan Tata, Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Mittal, who listened to US President Barack Obama with rapt attention at the joint US-India press conference in the capital on Monday, were seen chuckling away when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, “India is not in the business of stealing jobs in the US.”

In an interesting formation, bankers Deepak Parekh and Chanda Kochar were seated together in the VVIP enclosure, while top names in the healthcare sector such as Preetha Reddy and Analjit Singh got seats next to each other.

Other industrialists and CEOs, who got to meet Obama at the Hyderabad House in the morning and then attend the joint presser, included Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata (side by side), Sunil Mittal, OP Bhatt and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw.

US-based Indra Nooyi, who was part of the American industry delegation accompanying Obama, sat on the other side of the VVIP area, but she walked over to the Indian side to greet home minister P Chidambaram.

The home minister stood up to chat with Nooyi.

Other Indian industrialists including Ambani, Mittal and Tata were also seen greeting the Cabinet ministers seated in the front row reserved for delegates and VVIPs.

The ministers occupying the front row included Pranab Mukherjee (finance), Sharad Pawar (agriculture), A K Antony (defence), P Chidambaram (home), S M Krishna (foreign), Kapil Sibal (HRD), and Anand Sharma (commerce).

Corporate affairs minister Salman Khursheed, who’s the minister in waiting for Obama was also around.

More than 300 media people, both Indian and foreign, covered the conference at Hyderabad House.

Sources said that around 500 passes were issued by the government for the event. Around 100 reporters/photographers were flown in from the US itself to track the Obama visit.

If body language is any indication, Obama appeared to be warm and respectful towards Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. As long as Singh spoke at the conference, Obama did not turn his face away even once from the PM.

The American president also held Singh affectionately for a great photo-op, and then did a repeat pose to please the cameramen.
Obama said he was floored by the “incredible warmth and hospitality,” and praised Singh and his `lovely’ wife for everything.

The PM, in his turn, thanked Obama and his ‘gracious’ wife (Michelle) for their personal friendship. As for the conference, only four journalists were allowed to ask one question each. When a reporter from Washington Post clubbed a second question on the US stand on including India as a permanent UN Security Council member, Obama displayed his funny side.

When the US President did not give a reply to this question, foreign and Indian media together prompted Obama to give an answer. Obama said, “it seems India and foreign press are collaborating”.
Then he added, “this is not the kind of partnership I’m looking for.”

In the end, he said the issue would be taken up in the Parliament address later in the day.