New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu has invited Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi to form government. He will take oath as Prime Minister for a third consecutive term on Sunday evening.
President Murmu appointed Modi as Prime Minister-designate on Friday after BJP chief J.P. Nadda handed her a letter on Modi's election as leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party and NDA leaders submitted their letters of support.
Endorsing Narendra Modi as the leader of the NDA Parliamentary Party, TD supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu hailed him as the “right leader at the right time”. Reaffirming the JD(U)'s support, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that his party will stand with Modi in all his decisions.
Addressing reporters in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Modi said: “The President has asked me to work as Prime Minister-designate and informed me about the oath ceremony.” He added that he had informed President Murmu that they will be comfortable if the event is held on Sunday evening.
Modi said Rashtrapati Bhavan will work out the details of the oath-taking ceremony on Sunday, by when he would hand over the list of the Council of Ministers to the President. “This 18th Lok Sabha is an important milestone towards fulfilling those dreams when the country will celebrate 100 years of independence in 2047,” he said.
“The 18th Lok Sabha will be a House of new energy, youthful energy, and people have given the NDA government one more chance,
Modi added.
Earlier, on being chosen the NDA leader in Parliament, Modi said he would strive to ensure unanimity in running government and asserted that the NDA was not a combine of some parties to get power but an organic alliance committed to the principle of 'nation first'.
Modi said the ruling combine was committed to the constitutional principle of “sarva panth sambhava (interfaith harmony)” and mutual trust was at the core of this bloc.
“If we look at numbers, then this is the strongest coalition government in the history of coalitions,” he said, asserting that the NDA had been the most successful pre-poll alliance since its existence for nearly 30 years, out of which it has served out three full terms and was set to start the fourth.
“We have never lost. Our conduct following June 4 shows that we know how to digest victory,” the Prime Minister said at the meeting of the NDA Parliamentary Party, and attacked opposition parties.
Modi said he has been missing quality debates and participation in Parliament for 10 years and expressed hope that it may happen this time. He said he hoped the opposition leaders will be guided by national interest. “They may be in opposition to us but not to the nation. I hope they will arrive in Parliament with the sentiment of national interest,” Modi said.
“There were efforts to not acknowledge this very victory, to cast a 'shadow of defeat' on this victory. But all such efforts remained fruitless... Such things 'die very young', and it happened,” Modi said.
Addressing the NDA parliamentary party, Naidu highlighted the need to address regional aspirations along with national interests. Praising Modi’s vision, zeal and execution of work, Naidu said that Mr Modi executes all his policies with “true spirit.”
Naidu’s views on regional aspirations were shared by Nitish Kumar, who, along with other NDA leaders, including JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, NCP chief Ajit Pawar, HAM(S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, Apna Dal’s Anupriya Patel and LJP’s Chirag Paswan, supported the proposal moved by defence minister Rajnath Singh to elect Modi as the leader of the NDA.
Expressing confidence that Modi will develop India in a big way and also pay attention to Bihar, Kumar said, "We are confident that Modi will develop India and we will wholeheartedly support him every passing day… All the pending work related to Bihar will be done. It is a good thing that all of us have come together and we will all work together with you... We will all work under your leadership.”
The Bihar Chief Minister also slammed the Opposition and expressed confidence that they will be defeated in the next Lok Sabha elections.
"I have noticed that a few people have won (the Lok Sabha elections) here and there by saying useless things. They haven't done any work and never served the country. Next time you win, they will all be defeated," Kumar said.
The meeting in the Central Hall also saw a lot of bonhomie as well as lighter moments among the leaders, with Shinde describing the alliance as a "Fevicol bond", Kumar trying to touch the feet of Modi, who stopped him midway, and the Prime Minister patting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on his shoulder.
