India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being sworn-in for the second consecutive term on Thrsday. The event will take place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan at 6.30pm Bangladesh time. The oath-taking ceremony will be administered by President Ram Nath Kovind, several Indian media reports.
All prominent opposition leaders including Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, JD(S) leader and Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have been invited for the swearing-in ceremony of the prime minister and other ministers in the cabinet.
Mamata had initially confirmed that she will be attending the ceremony but later changed her mind and accused the BJP of using the august occasion to score political points by alleging political murders in the state.
The Indian government said in a statement on Monday the leaders of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, and Bhutan - all members, with India, of the little-known Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) - had been invited to the swearing-in, Reuters reports.
"This is in line with government's focus on its 'Neighbourhood First' policy," a government spokesman said.
The leaders of Kyrgyzstan and Mauritius have also been invited. But two sources in Indian's foreign ministry said Pakistan will not be on the list, without providing further information.