Prime Minister Narendra Modi had breakfast with about 40 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmakers from poll-bound Uttar Pradesh on Friday. People familiar with the details claimed the discussions were essentially apolitical.

PM Modi encouraged MPs to interact with senior leaders in the party and in society, and to benefit from their experiences, during the meeting.

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He also emphasised the need for focusing on sports and wellness activities, instructing MPs to hold sporting competitions across the state to promote young people, particularly women. According to a party official, the PM emphasised the importance of focusing on the “sports economy.”

The legislators were also asked to devise new ways to commemorate the “Azadi Ka Mahatosav” programme.

“Not all the MPs from the state were present. It was a meeting that was attended by about 40 MPs, mostly from the Lok Sabha,” said the party functionary. Several MPs from the poll-bound state of Uttar Pradesh have been absent from the ongoing winter session of Parliament due to campaign-related activities.

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Ajay Misra ‘Teni’, the minister of state for home affairs, was absent from the meeting. Teni is embroiled in a dispute regarding his son’s alleged involvement in  violence against protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri. His departure from government has been demanded by the opposition.

Kirti Vardhan Singh, Mahesh Sharma, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Ramapati Tripathi, and Lallu Singh were among those who attended the meeting with Modi, according to sources familiar with the proceedings.

PM Modi’s meeting with MPs was the fourth of its kind. MPs from the Northeast, Madhya Pradesh, and the southern states have already met with him.