After jeers, Hooda invited for tea by Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday invited Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for tea at his official residence here.

The meeting between the two leaders came just three days after Hooda faced an embarrassing situation when he was jeered and booed by Bharatiya Janata Party supporters at an official function in Haryana's Kaithal town Saturday in the presence of Modi.

Following the incident, Hooda had said that he would not share a public platform with the prime minister and union ministers if the same attitude of BJP leaders and workers continued.

"Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi today. He had been invited by prime minister over a cup of tea," a spokesman of the chief minister's office said in Chandigarh.

Emerging from the meeting, Hooda said: "I fully respect the constitutional post of the prime minister. We discussed such issues concerning Haryana as fall under the purview of the central government."

Modi has come in for severe criticism from the Congress and other political quarters after non-BJP chief ministers were booed by BJP supporters at official functions in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Haryana's Hooda and Jharkhand's Hemant Soren were booed by BJP supporters in recent days at the prime minister's official functions.

Chavan had Thursday refused to share the stage with the prime minister following the incident with Hooda.