New Delhi [India], August 7 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met with over 40 MPs from NDA constituents, including rebel Trinamool Congress MPs who recently joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs who merged with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, at his official residence in the national capital over breakfast on Friday morning.
MPs said that among the topics that came up for discussion in the meeting was the stormy ongoing Parliament Monsoon session, which has witnessed several disruptions.
MPs from Shiv Sena, Republican Party of India (Athawale), Rashtriya Lok Morcha, AIADMK and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) were also among those who attended the PM's breakfast meeting today.
Shiv Sena MP Jyoti Waghmare said that during the meeting PM Modi stressed on the importance of smooth functioning of Parliament. The Prime Minister, she said, engaged with them as a member of a family and offered valuable advice. He expressed concern over disruptions in Parliament by the Opposition, which prevent meaningful discussions and denied new, talented MPs a platform to be heard.
"PM said that the constant uproar in Parliament has prevented the country from hearing many talented and newly elected MPs," she said.
Further, Waghmare said that today being National Handloom Day she presented Prime Minister Modi with a special Solapur handloom chadar embroidered with his image.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who was also present at the meeting, described it as cordial and said that the PM inquired about the rainfall situation in Maharashtra and also about the State's development. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said, "Today's meeting was a cordial one... We discussed matters regarding Maharashtra's development and the rainfall situation."
Shinde also said it was a matter of happiness that Prime Minister Modi personally invited the six new Shiv Sena MPs, who are now part of the NDA, for the breakfast meeting.
"It is a matter of happiness that the Prime Minister personally invited the six new Shiv Sena MPs, who are now part of the NDA, for tea today. All our MPs are pleased about this, and the Prime Minister himself mentioned it during our meeting," he added.
NCPI MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said the MPs were overwhelmed with the manner in which the PM welcomed them.
She said, "We are overwhelmed both by his knowledge and by the way he treated us. He accepted us, stating that those who are in the NDA for 20 years and those who are even a year old, we are all one family. He stressed the importance of unity and collective effort for the development and progress of West Bengal and the eight eastern states. He conveyed a wonderful message that we will work together for progress and development."
Another NCPI MP, Sudip Bandyopadhyay said, "...We had a conversation regarding the development of the North-East region of the nation. We will work to fulfil PM Modi's vision"
Fellow NCPI MP Rachna Banerjee described the meeting as "a very fruitful discussion" "...and we were very happy. It was actually a great honour that he invited us. The few moments we spent together during breakfast will always be memorable...," she said.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister shared personal, political, and social experiences, and offered guidance, AAP Rajya Sabha MP, Ashok Mittal said.
"He emphasized the importance of punctuality in commitments and advised on connecting with students and youth by listening to them rather than just trying to speak to them," Mittal said about the interaction at the breakfast meeting.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Nabin were also present at the breakfast meeting.
Earlier, on August 5, newly elected BJP MPs in Rajya Sabha met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence over breakfast. This also included MPs who had recently joined the BJP from other parties.
According to sources, the PM told the MPs not to get caught up in the "web of Delhi" and said they should not remain confined only to Lutyens Delhi. The sources added that the PM told the MPs to be mindful of whom they meet in Delhi and with whom they sit. Be very careful about how you use the letterhead and how you conduct yourself, he is believed to have said, according to the sources. The PM guided them and also replied to all MPs' queries. '