NEW DELHI : As Narendra Modi took oath as the Prime Minister for a third consecutive term, several leaders from the neighbourhood and Indian Ocean attended the oath ceremony on Sunday.
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe; Maldivian President, Mohamed Muizzu; Seychelles Vice-President, Ahmed Afif; Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina; Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’; and Bhutan Prime Minister, Tshering Tobgay, attended the event.
These leaders also met Prime Minister Modi on stage later in the day.
Most of these leaders were among the first global leaders to congratulate PM Modi after victory in the Lok Sabha polls.
Norwegian Ambassador to India, May-Elin Stener, Singapore High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong and several other dignitaries also attended the oath ceremony.
Prime Minister Modi’s invitation to neighbouring leaders reflects India’s ongoing efforts to engage with countries in the region. In 2014, he convened leaders from SAARC nations, and in 2019, he invited countries from the BIMSTEC group.
India has emerged as a strong voice in the past decade. PM Modi has prioritised positioning India as the ‘Voice of the Global South’ with the ‘Vishwa Bandhu’ approach. He has also laid emphasis on cooperation in the Indian Ocean with the SAGAR initiative.
The G20 Summit was held under India’s presidency with the theme of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. A major accomplishment of the summit was the African Union’s inclusion as a permanent member of G20.
Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister of India for his third successive term on Sunday at an impressive ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan which is being attended by leaders from India’s neighbourhood and Indian Ocean region.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA secured 293 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. BJP won 240 seats on its own. In the 543-strong lower house of the Indian parliament, 272 is the minimum majority figure.
Notably, PM Modi is the second Indian leader to win a third term after founding prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. (ANI)