New Delhi: Important political dignitaries to foreign leaders and unsung heroes — such as construction and sanitation workers, besides Mann ki Baat participants — are likely to be among the about 7,000 plus guests invited for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan Sunday.
Modi staked claim to form the government after the BJP-led NDA secured a majority in the 543-member Lok Sabha by winning 293 seats.
Modi, who will take charge as Prime Minister for the third consecutive term, along with members of his Council of Ministers, will be administered the oath of office at 7.15 PM Sunday by President Droupadi Murmu during a grand ceremony for which hectic preparations are underway at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Stringent security measures have been put in place for the ceremony. The Delhi Police has imposed prohibitory orders and declared the national capital a no-flying zone.
For the swearing-in ceremony, leaders from India’s neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region have been invited as guests, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a press statement Saturday.
President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Vice-President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth of Mauritius, Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay have accepted the invitation to attend the ceremony, according to the statement.
In 2014, leaders of South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) had attended Modi’s first swearing-in ceremony. In 2019, leaders of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries were invited for the same.
Apart from foreign leaders, construction workers part of the Central Vista project, sanitation workers, Railway employees deployed on Vande Bharat trains, and those who found mention in Modi’s monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat are among those on the long list of special invitees.
According to a senior BJP leader, “Around 10 invites each have been sent to sanitation workers, construction workers involved in the Central Vista project, Railway employees and people who were mentioned by the PM in his Mann ki Baat programme for their contribution to society.”
A second senior BJP leader told ThePrint that Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan awardees, 30-40 religious heads many of whom attended the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, besides artists, people from the film and sports fraternities, top industrialists and businesspeople, among others, are expected to attend the grand event.
Also, the Delhi BJP unit, it is learnt, has been asked to make accommodation and transport arrangements for guests, according to two senior Delhi BJP leaders.
Several government agencies such as the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), the construction arm of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, have been tasked with sanitation, decoration, sitting arrangement etc.
A senior NDMC official, while requesting anonymity, said, “Around eight anti-smog guns, over 100 toilets have been installed in North and South blocks near the parking areas. We have deployed four mechanical sweeping machines to clean the roads. The horticulture department is decorating the roundabouts and nearby areas with flowers and plants. As we have very little time for the arrangements, our staff is working day and night.”
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said Saturday that none of the Opposition INDIA bloc leaders have received invitations for the swearing-in ceremony yet.
“Only international leaders have been invited for the swearing-in ceremony. Our leaders have not received the invitation yet. When our INDIA alliance leaders receive the invitation, we will think about it,” he said at a press conference following the CWC meeting.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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