AGARTALA: Downplaying reports of chief minister Biplab Deb being summoned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi following outrage over his comments over the past few weeks, an official at the chief minister's office on Monday said he had been invited to attend a meeting on Gram Swaraj Abhiyan at Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 2.All chief ministers have been invited to the event and will interact with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the officer said. During his four-day visit to the national capital, Deb is also scheduled to meet external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to discuss bilateral trade and relations with Bangladesh."We have submitted our written proposal and vision for Gram Swaraj. In the meeting, I shall explain these in detail to finalize the plan. I will also get the opportunity to listen to my colleagues and seniors, especially our Prime Ministers, and their perspective on the matter," Deb said on Monday.Reports of Deb being called to Delhi came up in the midst of an unrelenting stream of controversies over his statements - that internet and satellite technology existed during the Mahabharata period, questioning the rationale of awarding the Miss World title to Diana Hayden, advising civil engineers to join civil services and, finally, asking the youth of the state to stop pursuing government jobs and rear cows instead. While some senior party leaders suggested that the BJP leadership was not happy with the unflattering publicity, a section attempted to downplay the reports that his controversial remarks may have something to do with the "invitation". A few days ago, the PM had warned party "motormouths" against making statements that could turn controversial before the media.Highlighting the reasons behind his trip, Deb said, "I might have to travel to Bengaluru from Delhi on May 5 for a meeting on the crucial Karnataka election, which will be attended by a few BJP chief ministers."Deb is also scheduled to meet other Union ministers, including human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar. In his meetings with other ministries, he will push for pending projects of the state.On Monday, Deb launched the Ayushman Bharat scheme under the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan at Sabroom. Under the National Health Policy, he said, the Centre has planned 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres to provide comprehensive healthcare to people. He added that another flagship programme, the National Health Protection Scheme, will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families - providing coverage up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.

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