Sonia Gandhi hosts dinner for 17 Opposition leaders at 10 Janpath

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday hosted a dinner for Opposition leaders at her New Delhi residence in 10 Janpath, as the Congress moves ahead ambitiously to form a united alliance to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP)-led NDA in 2019 General Elections.

The party was attended by Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, Samajwadi Party's Ramgopal Yadav, BSP's Satish Mishra, DMK's Kanimozhi, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha's Babulal Marandi, AIUDF's Badruddin Ajmal,Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh, Hindustani Awam Morcha's Jitan Ram Manjhi and NC's Omar Abdullah.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders including Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge was also present at the dinner.

Leaders from a cross section of parties registered their presence at the dinner. pic.twitter.com/u3McC9TUer

— Congress (@INCIndia) March 13, 2018

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"Dinner hosted by Sonia ji for Opposition parties should not be seen from the prism of politics, it was for friendship and better dialogue between parties," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

DMK president MK Stalin, who was also invited for the dinner did not attend it. He had earlier said, “Will not be able to attend the dinner as the Assembly session in Tamil Nadu was beginning from March 15.”