Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony: Here's everything you need to know
What's the story
Narendra Modi, who will take oath as Prime Minister on Thursday evening, started his day by remembering the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He also paid tributes at New Delhi's war memorial and met all three service chiefs. The ceremony is likely to be attended by nearly 8,000 people at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Here are all the details.
Mandate
Under Modi, BJP got a bigger mandate than 2014
On May 23, Modi registered his name in history by leading BJP to a landslide victory in general elections. The saffron party won 303 out of 543 Lok Sabha seats, whereas NDA won 353 seats. Modi became the only non-Congress Prime Minister to return to the office with a bigger mandate. Undoubtedly, his second swearing-in ceremony will be grand.
Schedule
Modi paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and Vajpayee
All eyes will be on Modi's movements throughout the day, and he began the day by remembering the elders. After paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat, he went to Sadaiv Atal memorial. At his second stop, he was accompanied by BJP President Amit Shah and other leaders. Then, Modi went to the war memorial and spoke about national security.
Twitter Post
Atal Ji would have been very happy today: Modi
We remember beloved Atal Ji every single moment.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 30, 2019
He would have been very happy to see BJP get such a great opportunity to serve people.
Motivated by Atal Ji’s life and work, we will strive to enhance good governance and transform lives.
Here are glimpses from ‘Sadaiv Atal.’ pic.twitter.com/7LXNkU0DP4
Invitations
Barring world leaders, special guests will attend the ceremony
When Modi took oath for the first time, nearly 5,000 guests attended the ceremony. As his clout grew, the number of attendees also swelled. Leaders of BIMSTEC countries have started arriving in Delhi for the event. Notably, BJP has invited families of workers who died in violence in West Bengal. The party has also extended invites to families of Pulwama attack martyrs.
Details
Rahul, Sonia, Manmohan will attend; Mamata won't
As far as Opposition leaders are concerned, Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee opted out of the event, after initially saying yes. She claimed BJP was giving political color to the constitutional event. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, her son and Congress President Rahul Gandhi, and former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh will attend the event. Notably, CMs of Congress-ruled states have turned down the invitations.
Cabinet
Dharmendra Pradhan, RS Prasad, and Naqvi might take oaths today
Modi's new cabinet will also take oath along with him. Many theories about who will make the cut have been floating around for days. According to rumors, Dharmendra Pradhan, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, have been finalized for the cabinet. Notably, Arun Jaitley, who handled finance, wrote a letter to Modi asking him to excuse him from the government this time.