MoS Ajay Mishra absent from Modi's meet with UP MPs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday met several Bharatiya Janata Party MPs from the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh over breakfast, with sources saying he discussed various 'non-political' issues with them and advised them to engage more with party workers and people beyond politics.

Aside from the 36 MPs, the meeting was also attended by BJP president J P Nadda and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, they said.

However, one noticeable absentee was Kheri MP and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son Ashish is an accused in the October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.

Ashish was booked after four farmers and a journalist were mowed down by a speeding SUV while they were returning from a protest against the now-repealed farm laws.

During the meeting at his official residence in New Delhi, the prime minister mostly discussed 'non-political' issues and it was more of an informal meeting over the breakfast, the sources said.

Talking about Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Modi advised the MPs to regularly hold sports competition to develop a culture of fitness among common people, the sources said.

Emphasising on continuously staying in touch with people, Modi urged the party leaders to hold regular talks with senior people in their respective constituencies and engage with people beyond politics.

The MPs applauded Modi for the Kanshi Vishawanath corridor while specifically mentioned that the prime minister having a lunch with the construction workers of the corridor has gone well with masses especially in Uttar Pradesh, they said.

This was a fourth meeting of the prime minister with BJP MPs in different batches during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament. He has so far met MPs from northeastern states, southern states and Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP is fighting elections in Uttar Pradesh in alliance with Nishad Party and Apna Dal (S).

Assembly elections in the country's most populous state will be held early next year.

In the 2017 assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP had swept the elections and won 312 seats in the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh Assembly. While SP bagged 47 seats, BSP won 19 and Congress only managed to win seven seats.