My rivals need to form an alliance to be a credible Opposition: Narendra Modi
BJP president Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah accompanied Modi
Varanasi: India's prime minister-elect Narendra Modi offered prayers on the banks of the river Ganges on Saturday, after making a visit to the sacred city of Varanasi, where he was greeted by thousands of well-wishers.
Modi, flanked by other senior figures from the victorious BJP, performed a series of Hindu rituals to seek blessings ahead of his swearing-in, which is expected next week. As priests and onlookers chanted devotional songs, Modi lit a traditional oil lamp and sat atop a flower-decked dais on the bank of the river.
The ceremony was rich in political symbolism, underlining Modi's roots as a Hindu nationalist even as he promises to govern for all of India, including its religious minorities.
Modi stood for election from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh state, a chaotic city of temples where Hindus consider it auspicious to be cremated. He won by a huge margin of about 370,000 votes. Modi was pitted against AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal who lost to the BJP strongman.
The Varanasi administration had rolled out the red carpet welcome to the PM-designate after having denied him permission for an election rally on May 10. Varanasi was a fortress with a special team of the Gujarat Police carrying out inspections of all areas that Mr Modi was likely to pass through.
Earlier, in the day hundreds of people thronged the leafy streets of New Delhi to greet Modi's triumphant march into the capital after he decimated the Congress party in the biggest election victory India has seen in 30 years.
He flew in straight to New Delhi from Ahmedabad to meet the BJP top brass at the party's 11, Ashok Road headquarters. Janpath was strewn with rose petals to welcome his cavalcade. At the party office, he gave a brief speech to the waiting crowd, thanking 'generations of karyakartas' for his victory.
He then went inside to a rousing welcome by party leaders, among whom were one-time dissenters L K Advani and Sushma Swaraj. But Modi embraced Advani and touched his feet. His greeting of Sushma was equally warm.
It was decided at the meeting that the BJP parliamentary board would formally declare Narendra Modi their leader on May 20. There is no word yet on when the swearing-in ceremony will be.
Here is what Narendra Modi said in Varanasi:
- It was written in my destiny to serve Mother Ganga, says Modi
- When I came to Varanasi I came as a candidate but when I filled my form I became a son of this place
- I bow to this holy land of Varanasi and to voters for choosing me
- I was stopped from speaking to my people in Varanasi, inspite of that people voted for my silence
- Ganga Maa calls us, is there any child who will clean the Ganga? Restore its glory?
- Didn't get time to talk to you much, but you gave me your support, Modi tells Varanasi
- If you are with me, the world cannot stop us
- We shall start small in Varanasi, then get on to bigger things
- We shall clean Varanasi first, then India
- The reigns of this country is with people who were born in free India
- Whatever I do, I shall do for the country
- I believe we can change India, we can change the world
- So far, alliances ruled India, now they need to form alliance to form Opposition
Here is what Narendra Modi did earlier in New Delhi:
- Narendra Modi reached the Capital around 10.30, greeted by a mob of supporters at airport
- Rose petals were showered on Delhi's Janpath to greet Narendra Modi
- Crowds thronged Narendra Modi's cavalcade as he made his way to the BJP headquarters from the airport
- My win is because of the lakhs of BJP workers, Narendra Modi said at the BJP party office
- The lotus shines in Delhi because of the people of India, Modi said in brief addres to the assembled crowds at the party headquarters
- This victory is to those generations of karyakartas who have worked tirelessly over the years, Narendra Modi said
- Narendra Modi was then showered with flowers at the BJP headquarters
- A meeting commenced of the BJP parliamentary board, also attended by L K Advani and Sushma Swaraj
- On the agenda of the board was how Narendra Modi's government would shape up
- Parliamentary board congratulated Narendra Modi for stunning win
- Board decided it will meet on May 20 to choose Narendra Modi as next PM
- We will have a legislative council election in Gujarat to elect the new CM of Gujarat, party chief Rajnath Singh said
- We will provide a government with a high level of probity, said Rajnath Singh
Modi toned down religious issues in his pitch to India's 815 million voters and won the world's biggest ever election with promises of economic development for all.
The three-times chief minister of Gujarat is an outsider to Delhi's power circle. Describing himself as a "worker", he hailed grass-roots campaigners who showered him with pink rose petals as he arrived at party headquarters.
"Modi juggernaut crushes Congress," the Business Standard newspaper's headline exclaimed after Friday's results showed the party of the Gandhis and Prime Minister Singh suffered its worst-ever wipeout, winning just 44 of the 543 parliamentary seats at stake in the election that was staggered over five weeks.
Modi will not formally take office until after Tuesday, the party said. Modi has given India its first parliamentary majority after 25 years of coalition governments, with his party winning more than six times the seats garnered by Congress.
With almost all 543 seats declared by Saturday morning, Modi's BJP looked set to win 282 seats, 10 more than the majority required to rule. With its allied parties, it was heading for a comfortable tally of around 337 - the clearest result since the 1984 assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi propelled her son Rajiv to office.