The dinner party hosted by prime minister Manmohan Singh here for president Barack Obama saw a sorted bunch of 80 top politicians, industrialists and bollywood actors, but the famous US-based hotelier, Sant Singh Chatwal was missing from the grand event.

It is said that it was none other than the prime minister himself who struck Chatwal’s name from the list of invitees. PM’s principal secretary TKA Nair suggested the name of SS Chatwal as a special invitee to the dinner at 7 Race Course road.
 
Singh wanted it simple and the list was nearing hundred. He came too clean on Chatwal as he did not want a Washington White House intruder style repeated at his residence.
 
Singh is also said to be upset with Nair’s repeated pleas about Chatwal. This happened, when Nair held a list of probables, say nearing hundred.
 
Chatwal has been a close associate of the former US president Bill Clinton. During nuke deal days in 2008, it was Chatwal who played track two diplomacy to bring impossible issues resolved.