Athawale Says PM Modi’s Dinner With NDA MPs Has “No Political Agenda”, Defends SIR Process

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to all NDA MPs for a dinner at his residence was simply a gesture of camaraderie and not linked to any political strategy. Speaking to reporters, Athawale said the gathering would allow MPs to interact informally and strengthen internal cohesion within the ruling alliance.

“PM Narendra Modi has invited all NDA MPs to his residence for a dinner. We will also interact with each other. I think it is good that all NDA MPs have been invited. There is no political agenda. PM Modi is a popular leader and he has invited us today,” he said.

Athawale, who heads the Republican Party of India (A), also defended the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, amid accusations from the Opposition that the process was being used selectively to target certain voters. He asserted that the government’s intention was not to suppress anyone.

“I think, through SIR, the government does not want to suppress anyone. It wants to uplift everyone,” he said. He added that the focus of the Election Commission’s inquiry was on identifying “bogus voters, who are not the citizens of our country, who are duplicate voters."

Taking a swipe at the Opposition, Athawale remarked, “Let the Opposition say whatever it wants. We will keep coming to power and they will stay in Opposition.”