New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and a
host of other Congress leaders and Union Ministers attended a
dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Wednesday,
with SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav also joining them.
This is the first informal get-together of MPs of UPA and
like-minded parties after the Telangana crisis that saw
Congress in Andhra Pradesh divided on regional lines.
The MPs included those from Andhra Pradesh who are for
and against creation of separate Telangana. Ponnam Prabhakar
is among those agitating for a separate state while Jaganmohan
Reddy and T Subbarami Reddy are among those against.
Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata
Banerjee, who was reportedly critical of the government's
decision on Telangana, also attended the dinner along with all
her ministerial colleagues and MPs from the party.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who was in Bihar, specially flew
in here to attend the dinner in an apparent move to reach out
to the UPA. Prasad's party was the second largest ally in the
first UPA government. However, it contested this Lok Sabha
election separately from Congress.
SP leader Amar Singh, who had been critical of Congress
ever since the alliance with the party did not materialise,
was present along with party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Senior BSP leader Dara Singh Chauhan was also there.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar, National Conference President
Farooq Abdullah -- both Union Ministers -- were also present.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 22:28