PM meets over 40 BJP MPs from other backward classes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday met over 40 BJP MPs from other backward classes at his official residence, sources said.

This was the first of a series of meetings scheduled between Modi and BJP MPs at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg.

On Thursday, he is scheduled to meet MPs from scheduled castes, they said.

There was no specific agenda for the meeting.There was an informal discussion between the prime minister and the parliamentarians, a BJP MP, present at the meeting, said.

"Modiji interacted with us briefly and the MPs introduced themselves," the parliamentarian said.

Forty-three MPs and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi were present at the meeting.

The BJP parliamentarians have been divided into seven groups such as young MPs, women MPs and MPs from scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes.

Each group will meet Modi separately, the sources said.

This is the first set of meetings between Modi and the newly-elected MPs of the 17th Lok Sabha.

During the 16th Lok Sabha, Modi had met BJP MPs from various states in every session of Parliament, where he had spoken to them about the government's agenda.