New Delhi:
BJP president Rajnath Singh met general secretaries of the party this evening to finalise preparations for Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony on Monday.
Following are the latest developments:
The party has readied a guest list of 2,500 people; Mr Modi's mother Hiraba, 95, and his brothers are expected to attend the ceremony.
Every minister designate will be allowed to invite a maximum of four guests. The ceremony will begin at 6 pm and will last one hour and 10 minutes.
All members of Parliament, from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are invited, but their spouses are not.
All BJP national executive members are on the guest list. So are leaders of allied parties.
Two former Presidents APJ Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil have been invited.
Former prime ministers, Dr Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda, are expected to attend.
Mr Modi has also invited leaders of the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation). Pakistan will announce tomorrow whether its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will attend the ceremony. Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai has confirmed he will attend as has Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is traveling to Japan but she is likely to send the country's Speaker.
A three-layered seating arrangement has been made in the Rashtrapati Bhawan forecourt, where a prime minister will be sworn in only for the third time on Monday.
A stage will be erected just beyond the steps that lead down from the Presidential Palace to its forecourt.
Mr Modi has played his cards close and there is no indication yet which leaders will be sworn in as ministers along with him on Monday. His party has won 282 seats in the Lok Sabha and with its allies, has 336 seats.
Post a comment