Akhilesh Singh
NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu on Friday appointed Narendra Modi prime minister, clearing the way for him to be sworn in on Sunday as head of a BJP-led NDA coalition.
The President handed over the letter of appointment after BJP chief J P Nadda presented letters of support from NDA parties which have a strength of 293 members in Lok Sabha.
The President will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Modi and other members of the council of ministers at 7.15pm on Sunday at Rashtrapati Bhavan, a communique said.
Though a formality, the appointment and formal announcement of the date of swearing-in intensified efforts for ministry formation, with the BJP brass holding meetings with NDA partners to finalise the tricky twin issues of representation and choice of portfolios. Nadda, home minister Amit Shah and defence minister Rajnath Singh held parleys with leaders of NDA constituents.
Significantly, Modi tried to douse spiralling speculation about allies seeking to extract plum portfolios and more berths and even the constitutional office of Speaker by asserting that he was not known for giving in to pressure. “I have been watching reports for the past two days and most of them are baseless, far from the truth. They have not got an opportunity in the past 10 years and they might be on an overdrive. A few among us might fall in the trap of such people saying that I have good contact and can get the berth for you. We need to beware of such people… those who know Modi will tell you that such efforts are futile,” Modi said while addressing the NDA parliamentary party soon after being elected its leader.
This left many wondering whether the comment, though cloaked in concern for newly-elected MPs, especially first-termers and those belonging to partners, was also meant for those who may have concluded that BJP falling short of majority would render him vulnerable to coalition pressures. It, interestingly, might help the leadership of NDA partners in dealing with surging expectations of their flock that their numbers could be leveraged for outsized returns.
Reiterating that his govt won’t be driven by headlines, Modi said there might be people claiming to be distributing portfolios and playing a role in govt formation but such attempts were futile. “If you receive any call, verify 10 times, as there are a few habitually doing so. In this high tech age, letters with my forged signatures could also be circulated and our political rivals are experts in this job. I urge all of you not to fall victim to such conspiracies and be careful about rumours. You need to have faith in the team sitting inside this House,” he said.
Nadda had led the NDA delegation which included party leaders Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Ashwini Vaishnaw and C N Manjunath. The delegation also had leaders of other parties in the NDA, including N Chandrababu Naidu, Nitish Kumar, Eknath Shinde, H D Kumaraswamy, Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Pawan Kalyan, Ajit Pawar, Anupriya Patel, Jayant Chaudhary, Joyanta Basumatary, Atul Bora, Indra Hang Subba, Sudesh Mahto, Chandra Prakash Choudhary and Ramdas Athawale.
Later, addressing reporters in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, Modi said the President had appointed him prime minister-designate. He said he had informed Murmu that the swearing-in could be held Sunday evening.
Modi said Rashtrapati Bhavan would work out the details of the oath-taking ceremony on Sunday, when he would hand over the list of the council of ministers to the President. “The NDA govt has been given a chance to serve the country for the third time. I am grateful to my countrymen, and I assure you that India will continue to develop in every sector at an even faster pace than during our previous two terms,” Modi said.
The President handed over the letter of appointment after BJP chief J P Nadda presented letters of support from NDA parties which have a strength of 293 members in Lok Sabha.
The President will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Modi and other members of the council of ministers at 7.15pm on Sunday at Rashtrapati Bhavan, a communique said.
Though a formality, the appointment and formal announcement of the date of swearing-in intensified efforts for ministry formation, with the BJP brass holding meetings with NDA partners to finalise the tricky twin issues of representation and choice of portfolios. Nadda, home minister Amit Shah and defence minister Rajnath Singh held parleys with leaders of NDA constituents.
Significantly, Modi tried to douse spiralling speculation about allies seeking to extract plum portfolios and more berths and even the constitutional office of Speaker by asserting that he was not known for giving in to pressure. “I have been watching reports for the past two days and most of them are baseless, far from the truth. They have not got an opportunity in the past 10 years and they might be on an overdrive. A few among us might fall in the trap of such people saying that I have good contact and can get the berth for you. We need to beware of such people… those who know Modi will tell you that such efforts are futile,” Modi said while addressing the NDA parliamentary party soon after being elected its leader.
This left many wondering whether the comment, though cloaked in concern for newly-elected MPs, especially first-termers and those belonging to partners, was also meant for those who may have concluded that BJP falling short of majority would render him vulnerable to coalition pressures. It, interestingly, might help the leadership of NDA partners in dealing with surging expectations of their flock that their numbers could be leveraged for outsized returns.
Reiterating that his govt won’t be driven by headlines, Modi said there might be people claiming to be distributing portfolios and playing a role in govt formation but such attempts were futile. “If you receive any call, verify 10 times, as there are a few habitually doing so. In this high tech age, letters with my forged signatures could also be circulated and our political rivals are experts in this job. I urge all of you not to fall victim to such conspiracies and be careful about rumours. You need to have faith in the team sitting inside this House,” he said.
Nadda had led the NDA delegation which included party leaders Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Ashwini Vaishnaw and C N Manjunath. The delegation also had leaders of other parties in the NDA, including N Chandrababu Naidu, Nitish Kumar, Eknath Shinde, H D Kumaraswamy, Chirag Paswan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Pawan Kalyan, Ajit Pawar, Anupriya Patel, Jayant Chaudhary, Joyanta Basumatary, Atul Bora, Indra Hang Subba, Sudesh Mahto, Chandra Prakash Choudhary and Ramdas Athawale.
Later, addressing reporters in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, Modi said the President had appointed him prime minister-designate. He said he had informed Murmu that the swearing-in could be held Sunday evening.
Modi said Rashtrapati Bhavan would work out the details of the oath-taking ceremony on Sunday, when he would hand over the list of the council of ministers to the President. “The NDA govt has been given a chance to serve the country for the third time. I am grateful to my countrymen, and I assure you that India will continue to develop in every sector at an even faster pace than during our previous two terms,” Modi said.