New Delhi: Aligning with India's steadfast commitment to its 'Neighbourhood First' policy and the 'SAGAR' vision, leaders from the neighbourhood and Indian Ocean region have been invited as distinguished guests for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.
These leaders include heads of State of Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Nepal and Bhutan.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in an official statement on Saturday said, "President of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe; President of Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu; Vice-President of Seychelles, Ahmed Afif; Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina; Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'; and Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay, have accepted the invitation to attend."
The swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi and the Council of Ministers, following the General Elections 2024, is slated for June 9, 2024.
Highlighting the significance of the event, the MEA emphasised, "The visit of the leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his third consecutive term is in keeping with the highest priority accorded by India to its 'Neighbourhood First' policy and 'SAGAR' vision."
Additionally, the MEA mentioned that besides participating in the swearing-in ceremony, the leaders will also grace a Banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, later in the same evening.
A source familiar with the matter said that because of the ensuing G7 meeting in Italy, the guest list has been kept compact as PM Modi will also leave to attend the summit in Italy later in the week.
The seating arrangement has been done for over 8,000 guests who will be attending the ceremony. The list has been prepared and invitation cards have been sent. The guest list includes labourers, lawyers, doctors, artists, cultural performers, and influencers.
There were speculations that the oath ceremony might be held at Kartavya Path but because of ongoing weather conditions, it was confined to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
PM Modi's invitation to neighbouring leaders reflects India's ongoing efforts to engage with countries in the region. In 2014, he convened leaders from SAARC nations, and in 2019, he invited countries from the BIMSTEC group.
PM Modi is set to be sworn in as Prime Minister for the third consecutive term on June 9, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said on Friday. Alongside him, members of his council of ministers will also take their oaths on the same day.
Before this announcement, PM Modi met with President Droupadi Murmu and staked his claim to form the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government under his leadership.
"Exercising powers vested in her under Article 75 (1) of the Constitution of India, President Droupadi Murmu today appointed @narendramodi to the office of Prime Minister of India," the President's office posted on X.
"The President requested Shri Narendra Modi to: i) advise her about the names of other persons to be appointed members of the Union Council of Ministers; and ii) indicate the date and time of the swearing-in-ceremony to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan," the Rashtrapati Bhavan added.
PM Modi's leadership of the NDA was formally endorsed, with crucial support from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal (United).
The NDA commands a strong position in the Lok Sabha with 293 MPs out of 543. Among these, the BJP holds the largest share with 240 seats. In the 2019 elections, the BJP secured a total of 303 seats. (ANI)
