Out of the following Indian dignatories who was the special guest at the 45 th Independence day function of Mauritius on March 12, 2013?

The answer is B, the President. Mauritius gained independence from Britain on 12 March 1968, so 2013 marked its 45th anniversary. India sent its then President, Pranab Mukherjee, as chief guest for the celebrations, which was a clear signal of the close ties between the two countries.

Why the others are wrong:

• External Affairs Minister represents the government at ministerial level, but a head-of-state level guest is the protocol norm for a national day chief guest.
• Prime Minister was not the guest in 2013. Note that Narendra Modi later attended Mauritius's National Day in 2015, so do not carry that over to the 2013 question.
• Vice President has no role in such state visits and was not the chief guest here.

The core concept is protocol in bilateral diplomacy: the chief guest at a foreign national day is usually chosen to reflect the depth of the relationship. This links to the Indian Ocean and neighbourhood policy and to the Indian diaspora in Mauritius, a Mains theme.

Trap: Candidates often pick the Prime Minister because they recall a later visit. Always anchor the year before choosing.