Nitin Gadkari, national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, had Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani to 'high tea' last evening at his Nagpur residence. The meeting was termed a 'courtesy call'.
Gadkari, who has through in his political career been only elected to the state legislative council, has declared his intention to contest the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. He appears likely to choose either Nagpur (also headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) or the adjoining Wardha parliamentary constituency.
Apart from his political ambitions, he has been investing in sugar and allied industries, power generation, agriculture and
horticulture in and around Nagpur, beside elsewhere in Maharashtra.
An associate of Gadkari told
Business Standard: "The meeting was long overdue. Ambani had come to Nagpur for a private function and inquired about Gadkari's availability. No specific agenda was there; it was just a courtesy meeting."
The RIL chief had earlier attended a convocation ceremony at the Institute of Management Technology in Nagpur, in the presence of Union minister Kamal Nath.
In an address at the Institute of Management Technology, the RIL chief had said Nagpur's central location deserved consideration as a hub for the company's 4G telecom operations.
Gadkari had earlier set up a 'think tank' comprising business people, educationists and others to prepare an agenda for the BJP.