The compliment came at the end of the Indo-US business summit at the Trident, which was where Chavan met Obama for the second time in the day.
Maharashtra's beleaguered chief minister Ashok Chavan finally had reason to smile when US President Barack H Obama told him on Saturday that he was a 'great host'.
The compliment came at the end of the Indo-US business summit at the Trident, which was where Chavan met Obama for the second time in the day, after having received him at the Chhatrapati Shivaji international airport earlier in the afternoon.
Chavan, whose fate hangs in the balance with a two-member central team looking into charges of corruption in a defence land scandal in Mumbai, broke into a smile when Obama stepped forward to compliment him on being a great host.
The chief minister was quick to return the compliment, saying, "Mr President, we hope you will come to Mumbai again. We extend our support to your endeavour to strengthen Indo-US ties on the business and social fronts."
In a way, both Chavan and Obama are facing political uncertainty, with the latter having received a thrashing from the Republicans in the congressional and gubernatorial elections back home.
But all that was put on the back burner as both politicians used the occasion to shore up their respective images. Chavan and his deputy Chhagan Bhujbal gave Obama a couple of surprise gifts. And the brief moments the two top state politicians got to share with the world's second most powerful man (according to Forbes, which only this week named China's President Hu Jintao the world's most powerful man) ended with Chavan and Bhujbal imparting lessons on subjects like Maharashtra's golden years and social reformer Mahatma Jotiba Phule.
Chavan later told DNA, "When I received President Obama on his arrival, I gave him a book on Maharashtra. I told him the book could become part of the White House library. And when you return home and go through the book it will give you an idea about Maharashtra which is the leading state of India."
Later, at the Trident, "Obama emphasised greater Indo-US partnership through joint business ventures," Chavan said.
Chavan, who was Maharashtra's industry minister in the past, reminded Obama about the growth in US investments in Indian mega-projects by companies like General Motors. "I told him that two years ago as industry minister, when I went to the US, we noticed there was a great interest in investments in India."
The chief minister set his political problems aside and was totally focused on Obama's visit, monitoring events and the security set-up from his official residence Varsha at Malabar Hill. With home minister RR Patil out of town, the chief minister took charge of the department and personally coordinated with the police top brass and senior bureaucrats stationed in Mantralaya.
Bhujbal represented the state at the Taj Mahal Hotel, where Obama paid homage to those who died in the 26/11 attack and delivered a speech extending US support to India to fight terrorism. Bhujbal later told DNA, "I presented the English book titled Slavery [Ghulamgiri in the Marathi original] authored by the great social reformer Mahatma Jotirao Phule in 1873. I told Obama that Mahatma Phule was the first social reformer in India who penned this book 140 years ago. And he had dedicated it to the people of the US as a token of admiration for their sublime self-sacrifice and devotion to the cause of emancipating the slaves."
Obama was surprised and touched by the information. Accepting the book, he said, , "This is indeed a great gift for me."
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