Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 8: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday announced that the scheduled dinner meetings of NDA MPs with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president J P Nadda have been cancelled, in solidarity with the lakhs of people affected by devastating floods in Punjab and other northern states.

“We are passing through a very sensitive time when millions are suffering due to floods. In such a situation, we cannot organise dinner parties. Therefore, the dinner hosted by our respected Prime Minister for NDA MPs has been cancelled. Likewise, the one planned by J P Nadda has also been called off,” Rijiju told. He added that the decision reflected the leadership’s sense of responsibility.

Rijiju clarified that while the dinners were cancelled, the BJP’s ongoing two-day workshop for its MPs at GMC Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament complex would continue, with Prime Minister Modi attending the sessions from start to finish. “This is the BJP’s culture — whether a leader or a common worker, all are the same. There is no formal seating arrangement, and the Prime Minister himself often sits in the back row,” he said.

During Sunday’s session, PM Modi advised MPs to stay connected with the people by holding “tiffin meetings” in every assembly segment of their constituencies at least once a month. He stressed the importance of meeting concerned ministers and officials before and after Parliamentary committee meetings to ensure better preparation. He also urged MPs to emulate global examples like Singapore in cleanliness campaigns and to innovate in public service.

The workshop, which concludes Monday, includes training through mock polls ahead of the September 9 Vice-Presidential election. This year’s contest has shaped up as a “South vs South” battle, with NDA nominee C P Radhakrishnan from Tamil Nadu pitted against opposition candidate and former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy from Telangana.

The Vice President is chosen by an electoral college comprising 782 members from both Houses of Parliament, through a secret ballot and proportional representation with a single transferable vote system. The election was necessitated after the mid-term resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, who stepped down citing medical reasons.