PM Modi to attend tilak ceremony of Mulayam Singh Yadav's grand nephew Tej Pratap Yadav

LUCKNOW: PM Narendra Modi is slated to attend the Tilak ceremony of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's grand nephew, Tej Pratap Yadav, on February 21. The ceremony of Tej, who is to wed Raj Lakshmi, the youngest daughter of former Bihar CM and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, would see backward caste leaders from across the political spectrum thronging Saifai.

No BJP PM or even chief minister has ever attended any function in Saifai, therefore the presence of PM Modi has assumed special signifance.

Modi's arrival in Saifai would be followed shortly by the start of the budget session of Parliament from February 23. While the NDA government led by Modi commands a handsome majority in the Lok Sabha, it does not have the numbers to pass crucial bills in the Rajya Sabha.

Some of Modi government's crucial development agenda are dependent on passage of Bills in the Rajya Sabha. Therefore, Modi's presence at Saifai is being seen as a bid to reach out to the Opposition. While SP has been vociferously opposing Modi, it has not yet spelled out its stand on many of the proposed Bills. A senior party leader said the party's parliamentary board will meet in the next few days to chalk out its stance in the budget session.