NEW DELHI/CHENNAI/BHUBANESHWAR, May 23: Islamabad maintained an enigmatic silence on Narendra Modi’s unprecedented gesture of inviting Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to attend his inauguration on May 26.
The visit of Mr Sharif is expected to pave the way for a smooth engagement between the two countries for peace dialogue, much against the apprehension of a tense era in the relationship of the two neighbours starting in view of the tough language used against Pakistan by Mr Modi during the election campaign.
The invitation for swearing in of Mr Modi had been sent out to Mr Sharif and all other SAARC heads of states on Wednesday, a day after President Pranab Mukherjee appointed him as prime minister following his election as BJP Parliamentary Party leader.
Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai have confirmed their attendance at the event.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who would be on a pre-scheduled visit to Japan on that day, will be represented by Parliament Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.
Modi will be sworn in as India’s 15th Prime Minister in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan at 1800 hrs on Monday.
DMK president M Karunanidhi, too, joined the long list of political parties opposing the invitation extended to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the swearing-in ceremony and urged the Centre to have a re-think on the issue and drop the move.
In a statement, Karunanidhi said the Centre should rethink on whether a person, who was responsible for the killing of lakhs of Lankan Tamils and who was fully involved in the annihilation of Tamil race should participate in the swearing-in ceremony.
‘The Central Government should deeply ponder over whether a person who had launched a war against our own citizens and who had scant respect for human rights should attend the swearing-in ceremony’, he said and urged the Centre to drop the move.
‘Inviting Mr Rajapaksa for the swearing-in ceremony of Mr Narendra Modi and his participation is not acceptable to the people of Tamil Nadu and to the Tamils across the world’, he added.
The decision to invite Mr Rajpakse for the swearing in had raised the political heat in Tamil Nadu by a few notches, with Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, BJP’s ally MDMK, VCK and Dravidar Kazhagam castigating the Centre and expressing their deep anguish and resentment.
A Colombo report said in the diplomacy of one-upmanship over Tamil Nadu leaders, Sri Lankan Tamil North Chief Minister C Wigneswaran is likely to be part of President Rajapaksa’s delegation.
‘President Mahinda Rajapaksa has invited Northern Province Chief Minister C Wigneswaran to join the delegation which would leave for Delhi to attend the swearing-in of Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi,’ the Government Information Department stated.
Rajapaksa formally confirmed his acceptance of Modi invite through diplomatic channels yesterday and also via the President’s official Twitter account (@PresRajapaka) this morning.
It will be his first formal state visit to Delhi in a decade. He thanked India’s Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi for the invitation.
‘Thank you for the invitation to attend your swearing-in ceremony. I look forward to being there,’ tweeted Mr Rajapaksa, who returned last night from a visit to China.
He was one of the first world leaders to call Mr Modi to congratulate him on his BJP’s landslide victory earlier this month.
In the phone call to Mr Modi, President Rajapaksa said that his Government looked forward to working with the new administration to further strengthen relations between the two countries, according to Daily Mirror.
Mr Modi responded with a tweet:’It was wonderful speaking to you earlier today. I look forward to strong relations between Sri Lanka & India.’
A Kolkata report said All India Trinamool Congress general secretary Mukul Roy and West Bengal Finance and Industries Minister Amit Mitra would be present at the swearing-in ceremony of Modi even as the party MPS are likely to skip the function.
Informing this to mediapersons at Nabanna, Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said both of them would fly to New Delhi on Monday morning.
‘ Both of them will be present at the swearing-in on behalf of the State Government as a courtesy call.’
Mr Hakim said Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would not be present at the swearing-in because of her ‘preoccupations.’
He informed that May 26 being the birthday of rebel poet Kazi Narul Islam, Ms Banerjee would be ‘busy’ at the unveiling of ‘Nazrul Tirtha’ at Rajarhat on that day.
Trinamool insiders earlier indicated that Ms Banerjee and all her 34 newly-elected MPs would boycott the programme though no official statement was issued by the party.
Amidst a walk-out by principal opposition BJP, Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi established his majority on the floor of the Assembly, with the affirmation that it was a historic moment when a leader of the most oppressed section of the society was leading the Government.
Dissatisfied with the reply of the Chief Minister, the main opposition walked out from the House. The confidence motion was later passed unanimously in absence of BJP legislators.
The special session of the House was subsequently adjourned sine die.
The Chief Minister told media persons in assembly premises that he would soon expand his ministry but did not disclose about the number of ministers to be inducted, saying it would be within the limit as per the law.
Mr Manjhi dismissed the allegation of the opposition that he would act like a puppet CM with remote control in the hand of former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
“Creating an impression that I was a puppet Chief Minister was an insult to crores of people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Tribes in the State,” he asserted.
In Bhubaneshwar, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, his Council of Ministers and the newly elected members of the state Assembly were administered the oath by protem Speaker V Sugnan Kumari Deo.
In the 147 member-assembly, the BJD has won 117 seats,the Congress 16,the BJP 10, CPI(M) and the Samata Kranti Dal one each and Independents two.
BJP workers in Delhi were engaged in preparations for the swearing-in of Modi.
On the occasion, people of Chandni Chowk will be felicitated for electing Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan as a MP with a resounding margin, the official said.
BJP leader Hari Om Gupta said a large LED screen will be set up at Town Hall Chowk for people to watch the historic moment of their leader Mr Modi being sworn-in as the Prime Minister of India.
The swearing-in invitation has been extended to Bollywood too.
Millenium superstar Amitabh Bachchan, playback singer Lata Mangeshkar and Bollywood heartthrob Salman Khan have been invited to the oath taking ceremony, sources said.
Sources in the film trade said Modi has invited the senior Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Lata Mangeshkar and Salman Khan to his swearing-in. (UNI)
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