Foreign leaders make a beeline for swearing-in
NEW DELHI : As Prime Minister Narendra Modi gears up for his third swearing-in on Sunday, leaders from India’s neighbourhood have begun to arrive for the event.
Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina and Seychelles Vice-President Ahmed Afif were among the first to have arrived.
Other leaders expected on July 9 include Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth, President of the Republic of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan Tsering Tobgay, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe, and Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal also known as ‘Prachanda’.
Among them, Dr Muizzu will be coming to India for the first time since he assumed charge as President in November 2023. Relations between India and Maldives had taken a downturn after President Muizzu announced that Indian military personnel (deployed with two Dornier aircraft and one helicopter) were to return. After a few rounds of core group talks, the military personnel were replaced by civilian technical staff.
It would be the Bhutan PM Tobgay’s second visit after he assumed office for the second time in January. Sheikh Hasina will be visiting for the first time after she became PM for the fourth time. India was the first port of call for Prachanda after he came to power.
India has followed the tradition of inviting leaders from the neighbourhood for PM Modi’s swearing-in. During his earlier terms (2014 and 2019), Saarc nations and BIMSTEC leaders were invited.
Meanwhile, leaders worldwide have called or sent congratulatory messages to Modi on his third term. These include US President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin, British PM Rishi Sunak, and French President Emmanuel Macron, among over 100 others.
The ceremony -
Date: 7.15 pm on June 9 (Sunday), Venue: Rashtrapati Bhavan, Programme: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony, The Council of Ministers will also take their oaths of office and secrecy
Arriving today -
Mohamed Muizzu, President of Maldives ETA: 9.05 am
Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Mauritius PM ETA: 9.05 am
Tshering Tobgay, Bhutan Prime Minister ETA: 11.30 am
Ranil Wickremesinghe President of Sri Lanka ETA: 11.50 am
Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Nepal Prime Minister ETA: 2.50 pm