New Delhi: President A P J Abdul Kalam tonight (May 15, 2004) hosted a dinner for outgoing Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his Cabinet colleagues.

Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Defence Minister George Fernandes, Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi were the prominent dignitaries present at the dinner, official sources said.

Elections 2004-Where is India heading...
Political Parties in India

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was elected leader of Congress Parliamentary Party leader earlier in the day, was invited for the dinner, but she conveyed her regrets about joining it.

Ram Naik, Sharad Yadav, Arun Shourie, Vikram Verma, Digvijay Singh were among other outgoing Ministers present on the occasion.