A meeting underway between external affairs minister SM Krishna (extreme left) and his Canadian counterpart John Baird (extreme right) at Hyderabad House in New Delhi in September. Telegraph picture

Patna, Oct. 2: Chief minister Nitish Kumar broke ranks with the NDA in July to support Pranab Mukherjee as the presidential candidate. Little over two months on, he would host a state banquet tomorrow in the honour of the newly elected President.

For the first time in living memory, the state would host a banquet. The Raj Bhavan is gearing up for the high protocol affair on the first day of Pranab’s maiden two-day visit to the state.

“The Bihar’s Raj Bhavan has no records of organising a state banquet. Even the old staff members could not recall if the Governor’s House had ever organised the state banquet,” a source at Raj Bhavan told The Telegraph.

Nitish was known for his “fondness” for Pranab’s predecessor, APJ Abdul Kalam. In fact, on Nitish government’s invitation, Kalam visited Bihar and addressed the joint session of the state’s legislature. He also floated the idea of setting up the Nalanda University on March 28, 2006. He, subsequently, visited the state several times. But Bihar never hosted a state banquet for him.

IAS officer and principal secretary to the Raj Bhavan Afzal Amanullah, who has served as the consulate-general of India in the Middle East and is endowed with vast experience to handle several high protocol affairs, is believed to be on his toes to make the event a grand success.

“That Nitish had a very special place for Pranab da (as Nitish refers him to) became obvious when the Bihar chief minister broke out from the NDA to support him. Now, he wants to make the President’s visit an all-time gala affair,” said a source close to Nitish.

The state banquet would be preceded by a “private” lunch for the President and 11 others at the chief minister’s 1 Aney Marg residence. Nitish would serve Pranab typical vegetarian food — roti, rice, dal, curd, seasonal vegetables, jalebi and sweets.

Sources at the Raj Bhavan said the state banquet too would be purely vegetarian as per Mukherjee’s wish. “We had earlier included fish and other non-vegetarian dishes in the menu. But we changed it as the Rashtrapati Bhavan informed us that the President eats purely vegetarian in the month of Durga Puja,” said a Raj Bhavan source.

Pranab and 41 others would share dining tables during the state banquet at the Durbar Hall in Raj Bhavan. Besides the President, Governor Devanand Konwar, chief minister and his cabinet colleagues, Leader of Opposition in both the Houses of the state legislature, chief secretary and director-general of police would be present.

The sources said the governor would escort the President surrounded by four chobdars (men sporting special uniform, caps and holding silver batons) to the central table at the dining space with the National Anthem playing in the background. There will be one central table and 10 other dining tables. All other dignitaries would occupy their seats after the President sits. First, the welcome drink would be served to the dignitaries. A eight-course meal would follow.

After the chief guest (the President) is through with each course, plates would be removed simultaneously from all the tables. Military band would keep on playing throughout the dinner. All the VIPs would stand soon after the President stands.