The way to a state's heart...

Back in New Delhi after inaugurating the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Gandhinagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the chuda-dahi bhoj at Ram Vilas Paswan's official residence on Wednesday. Paswan is a senior non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of the Modi Cabinet and hails from Bihar. He has been away from the limelight for some time and is not one of the government's media faces. Modi attended the festivities along with the Paswan family and other guests. Consuming chuda-dahi (puffed rice with curd) on Makar Sankranti is considered auspicious in Bihar. With the BJP trying to expand its footprint in the state, breaking bread with the Lok Sabha MP from Bihar during the first big festival of the year wasn't such a bad idea after all.