Trinamool, RJD boycott Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dinner

Opposition parties such as the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, however, attended the event. The Rashtriya Janata Dal ’s Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti said money spent on such events was a waste.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Trinamool Congress on Thursday boycotted a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for newly elected members of Parliament, the first since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government returned to power after the general elections.

A Lok Sabha MP said the prime minister stayed at the dinner venue for about 10-15 minutes and then left as he has to go to Ranchi tomorrow to attend the Yoga Day programme. (HT Photo)

Opposition parties such as the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, however, attended the event. The Rashtriya Janata Dal ’s Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti said money spent on such events was a waste.

“Medicines and live equipment can be procured from the amount being spent in organising this dinner,” Misa Bharti said.

A Lok Sabha MP said the prime minister stayed at the dinner venue for about 10-15 minutes and then left as he has to go to Ranchi tomorrow to attend the Yoga Day programme. “He greeted the MPs who were present there at that point of time, but did not make any speech or address them,” the MP said, asking not to be named.

Most of the Union ministers were present at the dinner, as were BJP MPs. Among other who attended the dinner at Hotel Ashok were leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, various leaders of the ruling NDA, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Kanimozhi, Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh, and three Telugu Desam Party Rajya Sabha members who joined the BJP — Y S Chowdary, C M Ramesh and T G Venkatesh.

“The MPs interacted with the prime minister in a very informal manner...,” BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.