Top South Asian leaders will attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s oath-taking ceremony on June 9. Among the dignitaries invited for Modi’s third consecutive swearing-in event are the heads of states from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
This means all the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) nations except Pakistan and Afghanistan will be represented at the third inauguration of the Modi government. Inviting foreign dignitaries to his swearing-in ceremonies has been a signature of PM Modi’s diplomatic outreach as he begins his new tenure.
In 2014, India invited all SAARC heads of states to attend the swearing-in ceremony, which was held in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, in a departure from the norm. Before Modi, only Chandra Shekhar and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had taken oath in the open grounds at the Raisina Hill. Other prime ministers preferred the Darbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan for taking oath.
Who all attended the swearing-in ceremony in 2014?
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Sri Lanka’s Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Maldives’ Abdullah Yameen Abdul Gayoom, Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, Bhutan’s Tshering Tobgay, and Bangladesh parliament speaker Shirin Sharmin — representing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was on pre-scheduled visit to Japan — attended the first swearing-in of PM Modi in May 2014.
Besides the SAARC leaders, Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam was also invited to the oath-taking ceremony.
Modi’s invitation to the leaders from eight South Asian neighbours to his swearing-in ceremony was an unprecedented gesture. This came against the background of some analysts expressing concerns over Modi’s apparent lack of experience in diplomacy.
Conventionally, India’s foreign policy has been guided by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) since the days of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first to hold the office after Independence. The external affairs ministers are known to carry out the vision of the prime minister in global affairs. Modi’s gesture was an expression that his government saw India as a dominant regional and a key global player.
Who attended Modi’s inauguration in 2019?
In 2019, it was the turn of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) grouping to be invited to the national capital for PM Modi’s second swearing-in ceremony. It is a body of seven South Asian and South-East Asian countries for freer trade among member nations. Myanmar and Thailand join the SAARC members India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan to make up the BIMSTEC.
Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid (representing PM Sheikh Hasina), Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay, Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli, Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena, Myanmar President Wyn Myint and Thailand’s special envoy Grisada Boonrach attended the swearing-in ceremony from BIMSTEC nations. Others who attended PM Modi’s swearing-in included Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbey Jeenbekov and Mauritian PM Pravind Jugnauth.
Who else is attending this year’s swearing-in ceremony?
A diverse group of individuals, including sanitation workers, members of the transgender community, and labourers associated with the Central Vista Project, will be honoured as special attendees at PM Modi’s inauguration ceremony.
Additionally, railway staff from the Vande Bharat and Metro services, individuals who have benefited from central government initiatives, and representatives known as “Viksit Bharat” ambassadors are set to join the eagerly anticipated event at Rashtrapati Bhavan this Sunday.
Preparations are underway to accommodate a gathering of over 8,000 guests at the presidential residence, as per the sources.
PM Modi is scheduled to take the oath of office on Sunday evening, following his unanimous selection by coalition partners in Delhi.
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SAARC minus AfPak is on Modi’s swearing-in guest list. Who all attended in 2014 and 2019?
