New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a dinner for his Council of ministers in Delhi on Monday night. The dinner, to mark the festival of Diwali which is two days away, was attended by most ministers in Mr Modi’s Cabinet, including Shiv Sena’s Anant Geete.
Mr Geete, the Heavy Industries Minister in PM Modi’s Cabinet, flew down to attend the event. “I attended the PM’s dinner as the BJP-Sena alliance at the Centre continues,” Mr Geete told NDTV.
The Shiv Sena and the BJP are at a delicate point in their relations. As the BJP gears up to form the new government in Maharashtra, it has to decide whether it will tie-up with the Sena after an acrimonious split in September ahead of the state election. Negotiations for a reunion have reportedly not begun in full earnest.
The dinner was reportedly a lavish spread of North Indian and South Indian vegetarian delicacies.
During the dinner, the PM reportedly told his ministers to maintain the momentum of the ‘Swachch Bharat’ mission – the cleanliness campaign he launched with much fanfare on October 2 – and ensure that it was a success.
It has been five months since the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, or NDA, won the general elections.
