NEW DELHI, May 20:
Marking the arrival of a new era in Indian politics, Narendra Modi was today appointed Prime Minister, who said the elections have kindled a “new hope and aspiration” among the common man for whom he dedicated his Government.
President Pranab Mukherjee handed over to him the letter appointing him as the Prime Minister and he will be sworn-in on May 26 at 6 PM.
The appointment came after the 63-year-old Gujarat Chief Minister was unanimously elected leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party as well as that of NDA in a meeting that was punctuated by outpouring of emotions by “strongman” Modi who broke down for a moment.
Modi’s formal ascent to the top caps the stunning electoral victory that he had secured in the Lok Sabha elections that will bring in the first non-Congress Government in 30 years with absolute majority.
Party patriarch L K Advani, who had opposed projection of Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate, proposed his name for the leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party which was seconded by a number of leaders including Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu and Nitin Gadkari.
His election was received by thumping of desks in the historic Central Hall of Parliament, which reverberated to the cries of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.
At the end of the meeting, BJP President Rajnath Singh invited the gathering of newly-elected MPs to express their approbation with a standing ovation.
The NDA leaders and MPs joined the gathering immediately to elect Modi as the coalition leader and straightaway drove to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to convey to the President the election of their leader so that he can call him to form the Government.
Accepting the responsibility, Modi said the election result was vote for “new hope and aspiration” and he would try his best to live up to the expectations of the people.
“I accept the responsibility you have entrusted upon me. I assure you today that we meet in 2019 and I present my report card, you will not feel let down. You will never get an opportunity to look down on what my Government will do,” he said.
Dedicating his Government to the poor and the common man in whom the elections have generated “new hope and aspiration”, he said, “I believe a Government is one which thinks of the poor, listens to the poor and lives for the poor.”
He added that his Government would also be dedicated to the crores and crores of youth and “mothers and sisters who are craving for respect”.
Modi, who was making his maiden entry into the hallowed Central Hall, bowed at the entry of Parliament with his forehead touching the stairs as a mark of respect to the “temple of democracy”.
Shedding his electoral rhetoric, he said he would not say that previous Governments had done nothing good. “Various Governments tried to do some good work in their own way for which they deserve appreciation. Whatever good has happened, we will carry it forward,” he said.
Hailing the “strength” of Indian democracy and the Constitution, he said it was because that a man of humble origin like him could make it to the top.
Modi’s emotions came to the fore when he referred to Advani’s remark that he had done a “favour” to the party by taking it to dizzy heights which no non-Congress had ever achieved.
Choking for a moment, he had a sip of water and then proclaimed he had done his duty. “Can a son do favour to his mother? Not at all. Like the country, my party is my mother,” he said.
Proposing Modi’s name, Advani said he was a “popular and famous leader” and he was happy commending his name. “In everyone’s life, there are some memorable moments and this is one such moment. History is being made every moment today,” he said.
In the combined meeting, the NDA constituents chose Modi as their leader hailing him as “strong” personality with “extraordinary capabilities” under whom the country will prosper and attain a major stature in the world.
In his brief acceptance speech, Modi said even though BJP got a majority on its own in the Lok Sabha polls, NDA allies will be as important for him as they would have been without it.
The leaders of NDA constituents, including Parkash Singh Badal of Akali Dal, Chandrababu Naidu of TDP, Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena, Ramvilas Paswan of LJP and Nagaland People’s Front, praised Modi stewardship and reposed confidence in him.
Naidu said under Modi’s leadership, India will find a place among the world powers with “real competition” being with the US and China.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, while expressing his party’s support, said for 25 years, it has just been a struggle for the BJP-led alliance and now “good days have commenced”.
In his acceptance speech, Modi told the NDA constituents that the Government would be “yours” and it will be run collectively.
“Even though BJP got a majority on its own, you remain as important as you would be if BJP did not get majority on its own,” the Prime Minister-elect told them.
He appreciated the work done by NDA constituents in their respective regions, saying they had set an “example of hard labour” which demonstrates their commitment above politics.
Modi recalled that NDA had started the march in the Lok Sabha polls with three parties and by the time the polls concluded, the convoy comprised 29 parties.
After the combined BJP-NDA delegation met the President and also handed over support letters of 10 constituents of the coalition whose members were elected. While BJP has 282 members, the coalition strength goes up to 336.
The Rashtrapati Bhawan communique announcing the appointment of Modi as Prime Minister said as Modi has been elected leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party and BJP has the majority support in the House of the People, the President has appointed him as the PM.
The President has asked Modi to give the names of others to be appointed as ministers in his Government.
Meanwhile, BJP and its allies may have a combined haul of 336 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha but President Pranab Mukherjee appears to have taken note of only the number of BJP MPs in appointing Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister.
After a delegation of 15 members of NDA, led by BJP president Rajnath Singh, called on the President and handed over a letter stating that Modi has been elected as Leader of BJP Parliamentary Party. The BJP on its own has 282 members, 10 more than the half-way mark.
This was followed by a call on the President by Modi.
“Narendra Modi, leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party, called on the President at 1515 hours today. As Narendra Modi has been elected as BJP Parliamentary Party and BJP has the majority in the House of the people, the President appointed Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of India and requested him to advise the names of others to be appointed members of the Council of Ministers,” a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said later.
In his appointment letter, the President noted that he had received a communication from Rajnath Singh today informing him of Modi’s unanimous election as Leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party, which has emerged as the majority party in the elections.
“Please accept my congratulations. I, therefore, have the pleasure to appoint you as the Prime Minister of India in exercise of the powers vested in me under Article 75 Clause I of the Constitution of India. I request you to advise me the names of others to be appointed members of the Council of Ministers,” Mukherjee’s letter said.
Meanwhile, the magestic forecourt of the historic Rashtrapati Bhavan is gearing up for a gala swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi next Monday as the 15th Prime Minister of the country in the presence of over 3,000 invitees.
Following the footsteps of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Modi has expressed his desire for being sworn at the sprawling forecourt so that a large number of visitors can be accomodated to witness the function. Earlier, Chandrashekar was another Prime Minister who took oath at this venue.
The historic ‘Durbar Hall’ at the Rashtrapati Bhavan can accomodate only about 500 people but given the fact that the BJP will be inviting all its allies and other close friends.
Scenes of great camaraderie and warm emotions were witnessed in the Central Hall of Parliament today as Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi entered it for the first time accompanied by other NDA members who had gathered to elect him as their leader.
Three-time Gujarat Chief Minister Modi was accorded a rousing welcome by leaders of his party as well as those belonging to the 29 NDA allies as they reposed faith in his leadership for staking the claim to form the new Government.
Emotions ran high in the BJP camp and party veteran LK Advani had tears in his eyes, as did Prime Minister-elect Modi, even as the other leaders celebrated the party’s highest-ever tally since its inception.
As he was about to step foot inside Parliament, Modi bowed and touched with his forehead the stairs leading into the portal in a mark of respect for the “temple of democracy”. He later hailed it for elevating a common man like him to the highest post in the country.
Clad in his trademark kurta-pyjama with full sleeves and a vest-jacket, Modi was greeted by all and sundry.
Thanking the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate for taking the party to such heights, Advani turned emotional as he said that this historic day had come in his life due Modi.
Moved by Advani’s remarks, Modi too had tears in his eyes as he said in a choked voice, “Advaniji ne ek shabd kahaa aur mai Advaniji se prarthna karunga ki woh iss shabd ka istmaal na kare. Unhone kaha ki Narendra-bhai ne kripa ki. Kya maa ki seva kabhi kripa ho sakti hai? Katay nahin ho sakti hai.
“Jaise bharat meri maa hai waise hi BJP bhi meri maa hai. Aur isliye beta kabhi maa per kripa nahin karta, sirf samarpit bhav se maa ki sewa karta hai (Advaniji said that I have done a favour to BJP. Like India, BJP is also my mother. Can serving the mother be a favour? Not at all. A son is only dedicated to serving the mother).”
Modi’s key aide Amit Shah — who is credited with having scripted the party’s unprecedented victory in Uttar Pradesh — was greeted by many greenhorns as well as seniors ahead of Modi’s anointment as the leader of the Parliamentary Party.
The BJP Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan — Raman Singh and Vasundhara Raje — were seen greeting MPs and introducing their sons to them. Singh and Raje’s sons, respectively, Abhishek and Dushyant, have both made it to the 16th Lok Sabha.
Modi, who entered the central hall to a loud applause, touched Advani’s feet, who embraced him affectionately.
The Central Hall saw the colours and hues of the saffron party as the women MPs turned up in their colourful best. The backdrop of flowers in the Central Hall was made out in the colours of the Indian tricolour.
Even the saffron colour was not missing as there were at least seven newly-elected sadhus and sadhvis, including Uma Bharti and Swamy Adityanath, wearing saffron robes.
With a large contingent of BJP MPs coming from the Hindi heartland, leaders whose attire was the dhoti-kurta seemed to dominate the hall. However, newly-elected MP from Asansol, singer Babul Supriyo, looked different in a blue shirt and denims.
Actor-turned-politician Hema Malini was the cynosure of many eyes as she entered clad in a cream saree with golden flowers while Smriti Irani wore a bright purple saree.
On his first visit to the Central Hall, Modi said, “I visited the Gujarat Chief Minister’s chamber for the first time when I became Chief Minister. I entered the Gujarat Assembly for the first time after I became Chief Minister. I have come here also for the first time.”
Recalling Modi’s “Yes, we can” call issued during campaigning in Hyderabad, on the lines of US President Barack Obama’s campaign slogan, BJP President Rajnath Singh asserted, “Yes, we will” as he sought to strike a note of optimism ahead of Government formation.
Calling the mandate given to BJP a vote for hope, Modi said this was the first Government which will be headed by someone born in independent India.
“I don’t know what pessimism is. I am optimistic. Only an optimist can generate hope in the country. The countrymen will have to leave this pessimism. If the 125 crore people in the country take a step forward, the country will move forward by 125 crore steps,” he said. (PTI)
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