UP CM gets New York Consulate reception cancelled

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UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today got the Indian Consulate here to cancel a reception to be hosted in his honour by it, upset over the brief detention of his cabinet colleague Azam Khan at the Boston airport on Wednesday.

"Due to unavoidable circumstances, the reception scheduled to be held in honour of Akhilesh Kumar Yadav, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on April 27 at the Consulate General of India, New York, has been cancelled", a communication from the Indian Consulate in New York said, without giving exact reasons for the step.

Consul General D M Mulay, who took charge on Wednesday after his assignment as ambassador to Maldives, refused to give any reason for cancellation of the reception.

This was to be the first official function of the Consulate after Mulay took charge.

Yadav, yesterday had also boycotted the Harvard lecture he was due to deliver in protest against Khan's detention.

Invitation to the reception were sent out to all the prominent Indian-Americans, community leaders, elected officials, friends of India in New York and the media two days ago after the Consulate got the confirmation from the office of the Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, Mulay told PTI last night on the sidelines of a community reception in his honour at the Asia Society in New York that it was unfortunate that a minister in the state government was treated with disrespect on arrival at Boston Logan International Airport.

He said that his mission would raise the matter at the appropriate level to prevent its recurrence in the future.

Mulay said the mission would lodge "strongest protest" with the State Department and the Homeland Security on disrespect shown to Khan.

He said he would be meeting the Chief Minister to get first hand information from him.