Government formation: Day ahead of Modi swearing-in, BJP remains silent
New Delhi: Hectic parleys were held on Sunday on government formation involving Narendra Modi, BJP President Rajnath Singh and other senior leaders as also the RSS but there was a veil of secrecy in the exercise, triggering speculation on who gets key ministries.
The list of council of ministers, who will take oath along with Modi on Monday evening, is expected to be conveyed to the Rashtrapati Bhawan by Monday morning.
BJP leader Arun Jaitley met senior RSS functionary Suresh Soni at the RSS head-office here. Earlier in the day, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu met Modi to discuss the names of MPs of his party to be inducted in the new government. He had last night also met BJP chief Rajnath Singh.
Vizianagaram MP Ashok Gajapathi Raju's name is doing rounds as the TDP representative in the Modi government. Amid hectic parleys, a host of leaders including Ghaziabad MP and former Army Chief Gen VK Singh, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Ananth Kumar, Jagdish Mukhi and Sheohar MP Rama Devi met Rajnath Singh.
The swearing-in ceremony of Modi will take place on Monday at 1800 hours in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The 15th Prime Minister of India will take oath in the presence of nearly 3,000 guests, including leaders from SAARC countries like Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
President Pranab Mukherjee will administer the oath of office and secrecy to 63-year-old Modi and his Council of Ministers in the presence of a host of leaders, including outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi besides leaders of various other parties and Chief Ministers of a number of states.
The swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as the 15th Prime Minister of India will be the biggest event so far to have been staged at Rashtrapati Bhavan with the guest list, which includes key leaders from SAARC countries, set to cross the 4,000 mark.
This is the first time that such a large gathering will be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where the biggest ceremonies so far have seen a maximum of up to 1,500 to 2,000 guests, for instance, during the 'At Home' functions on the occasions of Republic and Independence days.
The swearing-in functions of Chandrashekhar in 1990 and Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1998 were held at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan and saw an attendance of 1,200 to 1,300 guests, said Omita Paul, Secretary to President Pranab Mukherjee. "With the gathering (for Modi's swearing-in) expected to be around 4,000 people, it was a huge logistical challenge for us and we enjoyed it," Paul said while interacting with mediapersons on the preparations for tomorrow's function, when Modi will be sworn-in at 6 pm.
There is no immediate information about any members of the Prime Minister-designate's family attending the function, she said.
Even as Paul was talking to the media, final preparations were underway to prepare the stage where the President will administer the oath to Modi and his council of ministers. "We have not been told anything about who will be sworn-in along with the Prime Minister," was Paul's prompt reply when asked about the size of the Cabinet.
The secretary said that the President had given his nod for the swearing-in to be held at the forecourt as he has always favoured the participation of more and more people. "It has been an endeavour of the President to make Rashtrapati Bhavan people friendly," she said.
With the weather forecast hinting at the likelihood of thundershowers tomorrow, Paul said she is hoping that no rain occurs during the function as the venue would then have to shift inside to the 'Durbar Hall', which has seating for 500 people while 400 others can fit in standing.
