NEW DELHI: After taking oath for a third term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government will continue to work for 140 crore Indians to fulfill their dreams. “I am grateful to all the foreign dignitaries who joined the swearing-in. India will always work closely with our valued partners in pursuit of human progress,” Modi said on X.
“This team of ministers is a great blend of youth and experience, and we will leave no stone unturned in improving the lives of people,” he said.
The PM said he was looking forward to serving 140 crore Indians and working with the Council of Ministers to take India to new heights of progress.
Ahead of the oath-taking ceremony, Modi had a pep talk with the minister-designates, saying people have huge expectations and everyone will have to deliver, sources said. “Be humble as common people love those who are humble and never compromise on probity and transparency,” he told the ministers-designate.
The strength of the Modi ministry, including the Prime Minister, stood at 72 against the limit of 81. The first meeting of the Modi cabinet is likely to be held on Monday evening at the Prime Minister’s Lok Kalyan Marg residence, sources said.
Modi’s third term, which always appeared inevitable, did not come with the massive mandate he and his party claimed, as the Congress and its allies in the INDIA bloc fought a doughty rearguard battle to shock the BJP in its strongholds such as Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The BJP had to depend on its pre-poll allies to help the NDA get a majority to form the government after a marathon election.