By Jilawatan

It has been dubbed the hottest ticket in town. More than what President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be holding forth when they meet here on next Tuesday, the buzz is all about who all will be invited to the first White House state dinner in honour of the Indian PM – and what the menu is like.

As the White House keeps the cards close to its chest, the well-regarded the ‘Politico’ journal has done what it apparently regards as the next best by publishing its own ‘wish list’ of the top 10 guests.

Topping the journal’s wish list is Mukesh Ambani and it includes, among others, writer Arundhati Roy, India buff Thomas Friedman, Bollywood couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Gandhiji’s grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi, General Electric boss Jeffrey Immelt, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Kansas lawmaker Raj Goyle and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

The Politico has not forgotten to include Raghubir Goyal, the only Indian who happens to hold the White House accreditation for journalists. While doing so, it describes Goyal as ‘one of the quirkier members’ of the White House press corps.

The jostling among the movers and shakers of the US’s everburgeoning Indian American community for an invite to the November 24 dinner is only to be expected.

For them, inclusion in the guest list will be the veritable official stamp of their proximity to the Obama administration.

While there is no knowing who all from this ‘top 10’ will make it, members of the Congress who have definitely made the cut are said to include Senators John Kerry, Richard Lugar, Dick Durbin and Daniel Inouye, besides House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

Two top guns of the Congress may not be out there because of prior commitments. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader John Boehner are said to have committed themselves to plans to be back home for the Thanksgiving Day festivities.

For Prime Minister Singh, this will be the second state dinner at the White House. The first was in 2005 at the invitation of former President George W Bush, a visit that climaxed with the announcement of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

There is no knowing how many invitees would be there this time. Some guesstimates suggest it may be between 300 and 400, compared to the 150 guests invited in 2005 and the nearly 700 invited by President Bill Clinton for the banquet in honour of Prime Minister Vajpayee in 2000.

The House of Representatives, meanwhile, was expected to adopt a resolution later on Wednesday commemorating US-India friendship and welcoming the Prime Minister. The resolution has been moved by Democrat Jim McDermott, who is also the co-chair of the India Caucus, and co-sponsored by 14 other lawmakers.

The Prime Minister will be kicking off his visit by addressing the captains of American industry at a luncheon being hosted by the US-India Business Council on Monday. He will later have a conversation with foreign policy wonks at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre.

All the official action will be on November 24, beginning with a formal welcoming ceremony on the White House lawns, followed by talks with President Obama and the state dinner later.