Congress stays away from swearing-in ceremony

Congress on Sunday kept away from the oath-taking ceremony of 21 new Ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers.

“Both Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh were invited to the ceremony,” Power Minister Piyush Goyal said after the ceremony.

Asked if there was any communication from the Congress on whether they will attend the ceremony or not, Mr. Goyal did not give any details.

However, it was not clear whether any other Congress leader, apart from Ms. Gandhi and Dr. Singh, were invited for the ceremony.

Samajwadi Party’s Ram Gopal Yadav was the lone opposition leader present at the Cabinet expansion exercise.