Senior BJP leader Narendra Modi said mutual trust is at the core the National Democratic Alliance, which elected him as the leader of the BJP, parliamentary party and the Lok Sabha. He called it the “most successful alliance in India’s history”.
“We are committed to the principle of sarva dharma sambhava (all religions are equal),” he said while addressing NDA MPs, allies, chief ministers and other senior leaders present at the meeting on Friday. “This is most successful alliance in India’s history; our aim will be to reach unanimity in all our decisions,” he said.
He added: “I express my heartfelt gratitude to all the leaders of the constituent parties present in this assembly hall, all the newly elected MPs and our Rajya Sabha MPs. It is a matter of happiness for me that I have had the opportunity to welcome such a large group here today. All those leaders who have come victorious deserve congratulations. The lakhs of workers who have worked day and night, today from this central hall, I bow down and salute them…”
Leaders of the NDA allies garlanded Modi as a proposal by senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh to make him the alliance leader was unanimously endorsed. He will be sworn in as the prime minister of India for the third time during the oath-taking ceremony on June 9 at 6 pm. This will be the 73-year-old leader’s third term, which has in the past only been held by India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Besides TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar and Shiv Sena boss Eknath Shinde, Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Anupriya Patel, Pawan Kalyan were among the NDA leaders present on the main dais, alongside senior BJP leaders. The NDA has 292 MPs, comfortably above the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha.
The BJP leadership has moved swiftly since the Lok Sabha election results on June 4 for government formation to end any sense of uncertainty after the verdict, which was a setback to the ruling party as it lost majority for the first time since 2014 and needs allies’ support to maintain its hold on power.
Here is all you need to know:
- After Modi is elected the leader of NDA MPs, senior members of the alliance like Naidu, Nitish and Shinde will join him for a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu to present her the list of parliamentarians supporting him, some alliance members said.
- Senior BJP leaders, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nadda, have also been holding deliberations with allies to work out an amicable formula for their share of representation in the new government, which will critically depend on them for survival.
- Nadda said this is the historic moment everyone was waiting for and it has finally arrived. “We all will be witness of this historic moment. In Odisha and Andhra [Pradesh], too, we formed our government. In Arunachal Pradesh, too, we have formed the government for the third time,” he said at the meeting.
- Rajnath Singh said the alliance is not a compulsion but a commitment for the NDA. “It’s a proud moment for us that the NDA has completed its 10 years. After Nehru, this is the first time that a leader [Modi ji] will become PM for the third time. The alliance is not a compulsion for us, but a commitment. I propose the name of Narendra Modi as the leader of NDA,” he said.
- Shah said he supports the proposal presented by Rajnath to elect Modi as the leader of the NDA. “I support the proposal presented by Rajnath Singh to elect Modi is as the leader of NDA. People of India have acknowledged PM Modi works,” he said.
- JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy also endorsed Modi as the NDA leader while Naidu praised Modi for being dedicated towards India’s development in the last 10 years. “PM Modi never took any rest during the campaign… We stand at a crucial juncture of the nation’s history as Modi ji has taken on a significant stature in the last 10 years. His dedicated approach has transformed the nation as a global powerhouse and I give the entire credit to him… During this tenure, too, I am sure we are going to be the third largest economy of the world. I am confident that under his leadership, Indians will be global leaders. There has been holistic development in all sections of society. I proudly propose the name of Narendra Modi ji for the post of PM of this great nation,” he said.
- Nitish, who bent down to touch Modi’s feet, said the JD(U)’s supports Modi’s name as the PM of India. “JD(U) supports the name of Narendra Modi ji for the post of Prime Minister of India. I am sure whatever is left, he will fulfil all in this tenure. Mil kar ke sab log chalenge (we will all work together),” he said.
- The list of invitees for his oath-taking ceremony runs into several hundreds. Apart from political leaders, both from the treasury benches and the opposition, there is going to be a significant presence of people from the film fraternity, sports fraternity, top industrialists and businessmen among others.
- Modi has prepared a list of special invitees to attend the ceremony. News18 has learnt that a special invite has been sent to beneficiaries of central schemes while some members of the transgender community have also been invited. Apart from this, an invitation has been sent to labourers who worked on the Central Vista project, including the building of the new Parliament. Safai karmcharis, or sanitation workers, will also be present at the ceremony alongside people who have worked in the railways on key projects like Vande Bharat trains and the Metro. Sources said 10 special invites from the above-mentioned categories have been informed that they will be watching this ceremony.
- India has also invited some of the top South Asian leaders, including Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, to Modi’s oath-taking ceremony, in line with the NDA government’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.
- According to top diplomatic sources, Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay, Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth and Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan are also being invited to the grand ceremony. Wickremesinghe and Hasina have already confirmed their presence.
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