Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has received an invitation to Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony on June 9, as sources informed India Today on Saturday.
However, Kharge will make a decision on attending the swearing-in ceremony after consulting with the members of the Opposition INDIA bloc, according to the same sources.
Earlier in the day, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh mentioned that party leaders had not received any invitation for PM Modi's swearing-in ceremony, noting that all invitations seemed to be going to international leaders.
"The person taking the oath has lost his personal, political, and moral authority. The mandate was sought in his (Modi) name, he did not get it, and we don't understand why this drama of swearing-in is being undertaken [sic]," news agency PTI quoted Ramesh as saying after a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party at the Central Hall of the old Parliament building.
Following this meeting, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal stated that the INDIA bloc would decide collectively on whether to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony.
Notably, Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi is set to take the oath on Sunday for his third consecutive term as the head of a coalition government, following two full tenures where the BJP held a majority on its own.
At 73, Modi will be matching the achievement of the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who won the general elections in 1952, 1957, and 1962.
Among the dignitaries and special invitees expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan at 7:15 pm are leaders from India's neighboring countries and the Indian Ocean Region. These include Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu, Vice-President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', and Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay.
