New Delhi: Leaders from neighbouring countries such as Maldives, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, accompanied by high-level delegations, will be attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony this weekend, ThePrint has learnt.
Despite frosty bilateral relations, Maldives President Mohammed Muizzu will fly down to Delhi along with Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer, sources in the Maldives High Commission in India confirmed to ThePrint. Finance Minister Ahmed Shafeeq and Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed are also expected to attend.
Last November, Modi had skipped Muizzu’s oath-taking ceremony after the latter won the Maldivian presidential election on an ‘India Out’ campaign. Instead, Union Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju flew to Malé for the event. Modi had attended the swearing-in of former Maldivian president Ibrahim Solih in 2018.
Notably, Muizzu was among the first world leaders to congratulate Modi earlier this week, after the latter’s National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power for a third term.
Unlike in the last two elections when it had got a simple majority on its own, the BJP this time secured 240 seats in the Lok Sabha, falling well short of the 272-majority mark. However, the BJP-led NDA secured 293 seats and is on its way to forming the next government.
Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) have emerged as key partners with 28 seats among them as India returns to coalition politics.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe have confirmed their presence at the swearing-in, which is likely to take place Sunday, after congratulating Modi over phone.
“President Ranil Wickremesinghe congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the BJP-led NDA’s electoral victory in a phone call. During the conversation, Prime Minister Modi invited President Wickremesinghe to his swearing-in ceremony, which President Wickremesinghe accepted,” read a statement from the media division of the Sri Lankan President’s office.
During the conversation, Prime Minister @narendramodi invited President Wickremesinghe to his swearing-in ceremony, which President @RW_UNP accepted. (2/2)#DiplomacyLK #LKA #PMD @MFA_SriLanka
— President's Media Division of Sri Lanka – PMD (@PMDNewsGov) June 5, 2024
A 64-member high-level delegation will accompany Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina, including Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmood and Salman Fazlur Rahman, her private sector development adviser.
In January this year, after Hasina was re-elected for a fourth term, Modi was among the first world leaders to extend greetings at a time when Western players like the US were silent after her return to power.
“Spoke to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and congratulated her on her victory for a historic fourth consecutive term in the Parliamentary elections. I also congratulate the people of Bangladesh for the successful conduct of elections. We are committed to further strengthen our enduring and people-centric partnership with Bangladesh,” wrote Modi in a statement on X on 8 January.
Other top South Asian leaders invited to Modi’s swearing-in ceremony include Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth. Bhutan’s prime minister is expected to be accompanied by one or two top ministers during his visit, according to diplomatic sources. The Nepal delegation will include the foreign secretary and one other minister.
(Edited by Tikli)
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