Narendra Modi has re-written history with a sweeping win in the general elections. He is now all set to be sworn in for his second term as Prime Minister at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. A communique from the President's House said, “President Ram Nath Kovind will administer the Oath of Office and Secrecy to the Prime Minister and other members of Union Council of Ministers on May 30 at 7 pm at Rashtrapati Bhavan.” After the NDA won in the Lok Sabha elections, with the Bharatiya Janata Party claiming 303 seats on its own, Modi was elected unanimously as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance on Saturday.
He later called on the President in his capacity as leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party, which has majority support in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament) following the general election to the 17th Lok Sabha. President Kovind exercised powers under the Constitution and appointed Modi to the office of Prime Minister of India and sought his advise on names of others to be appointed members of the Union Council of Ministers. A delegation of the NDA led by BJP president Amit Shah, and including Prakash Singh Badal, Rajnath Singh, Nitish Kumar, Ram Vilas Paswan, Sushma Swaraj, Uddhav Thakeray, Nitin Gadkari, K Palaniswami, Conrad Sangma, and Neiphiu Rio, had called on the President earlier to hand over a letter stating Modi was elected leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party. Letters of support from NDA constituent parties were also handed over to the President.
Together, the NDA has a strength of 353 MPs, in the 543-member Lower House.
India sends strong signal to Pakistan
Redefining its immediate neighbourhood barring Pakistan, the Indian government has invited leaders from BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation countries) – Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, and Bhutan, along with Kyrgyzstan and Mauritius. However, it sent a strong signal to Islamabad indicating it is not willing to engage yet, but not initiating an invitation to its border neighbour. The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the invitation, stating it was “in line with the government's focus on its 'Neighbourhood First' policy.”
This isn't the first time Modi invited foreign leaders to his swearing-in. In 2014, he had called upon leaders of all SAARC nations to his inauguration. The highlight then was Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif's presence at the event. However, India's approach to Pak has changed dramatically under Modi's tenure. While he hit it off personally with Sharif, repeated terror attacks from Pak has froze any bilateral process. Terror from Pakistan was a potent campaign issue this year.
MEA chief of protocol Nagesh Singh held a meeting with the ambassadors of these countries to discuss the invitations. Presidents of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan have confirmed their presence for the event, and Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov will use the occasion to formally invite Modi for the SCO summit in mid-June. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will miss Modi's inauguration for the second time. She is currently on a four-nation tour, which will take her to Japan and Finland. Nepalese PM K P Sharma Oli will come for the inauguration. Bhutan will be represented by its new PM Lotay Tshering.
While Maldives has not been invited since it is not a member of BIMSTEC, Modi will make his first visit to the archipelago along with Sri Lanka in early June.
Modi magic sweeps across the nation, Congress left red-faced
Just like the saffron party, or the NDA, this election was all about Modi and he proved his mettle by winning by a landslide. With the win, he is now the first non-Congress PM to return to office after a five-year term. He is also the first PM since Indira Gandhi to retain power without needing the help of allies. It is evidential that people of India voted for the name Narendra Modi and not just for the party BJP. Most significantly, NaMo is the first PM since Nehru to win back-to-back majorities on his own. The NDA's triumph has not only been staggering, but almost too good to be true. It won every seat in 10 states and UTs, increasing its vote share almost everywhere.
As counting began on Thursday, last week, BJP fate became appararent within a couple of hours as they raced to lead in over 200 seats. By the end of the day, it had managed to win more seats in Uttar Pradesh than Congress did all over the country. Nothing could slow BJP down, neither the SP-BSP's 'Mahagathbandhan' nor regional powerhouses like Trinamool and BJD.
While Rahul Gandhi and his Congress party turned to every cheap trick in the book, Modi campaign was more of a celebration of his aggressive military retaliation against Pak-sponsored terror. BJP increased its vote share fom 42% in 2014 to nearly 50%. The BJP also made inroads in Didi's Bengal, with a 40.2 per cent share.
In his victory speech, Modi called the 2019 mandate as unprecedented and one which would stun world opinion. He said, “Political pundits will have to forget the formulations of the last century.” BJP president Amit Shah said Congress had failed to score in 17 states and UTs, and parties that showed a contempt for the PM's hard work had paid a price for their arrogance. The verdict was a fitting response to the politics of appeasement and caste and dynasty, he added. Shah also hailed Modi as the world's most popular democratic leader.
Modi defied punditry that BJP would find it hard to repeat its domineering performances in states where it had done very well in 2014. It repeated its sweep of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and won all seats in Madhya Pradesh except one. It swept Bihar in alliance with JD(U) and Ramvilas Paswan’s LJP. Even BJP's controversial candidate Pragya Thakur, an accused in a terror case, trounced Congress veteran Digvijay Singh, who was in the Sangh Parivar's crosshairs for allegedly coining the term “Hindu Terror”. Kanhaiya Kumar of “Azaadi” fame fell victim to the Modi wave in Begusarai.
While Modi's campaign was full of cultural themes and nationalism, he scored high because of the pro-poor credentials he had amassed with his welfare schemes. Congress and other opponents had banked on unemployment and farm distress, however, none of those concerns derailed BJP, mostly because of specific interventions such as the PM Kisan Samman income support and more importantly because the opposition failed to build a convincing narrative.
“Every vote you cast will come directly to me,” Modi had said, and it has proven to be true. Meanwhile, there will be no Leader of Opposition in the upcoming Lower House for a second consecutive term.
