On the occasion of Diwali, BJP’s National President Nitin Gadkari organised a dinner for journalists in Delhi. A horde of journalists attended the do at his residence at 13, Teen Murti Lane – almost to start a stampede. But Gadkari met all journalists candidly and was proudly telling people how he had lost 11 kg in the past few days. A foodie, he stayed away from the food area. Rudy kept him company all the time, Nirmala Sitaraman was surrounded by journalists all the time, albeit Tarun Vijay looked a little aloof from everyone else. Gadkari’s media advisor Ashok Tandon and Raj Kumar Sharma acted like hosts and asked after the well-being of those present. Manoj Gaikwad was the most active and flitted from table to table asking after everyone. Dinner was a lovely array of Maharashtrian dishes – from Jhumpa Bhakri to Marathi-style Baigan ka chokha. As a diabetic, Gadkari may stay away from sweets but for the journalists, there was everything from jalebi and gulab jamun to ice creams. The ice cream was a tad hard, but Gadkari was all soft and yielding with the journalists.