Special invitees, construction workers wait with bated breath for Modi swearing-in

New Delhi: Twenty-eight years old Angad Kumar Paswan is still in disbelief that he has been invited to the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi and the new cabinet of ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday evening.

His Joy has kept him awake for the past two nights.

“I am still not able to believe that I would be witnessing the grand oath taking ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan,” Paswan, a native of Garhwa District in Jharkhand, said as he held the invitation card close to his chest like a prized possession.

Modi is set to take oath on Sunday for a third straight term as the head of a coalition government after two full tenures in which the BJP enjoyed a majority on its own.

Paswan is among the nearly 90 construction workers working on the Central Vista redevelopment project who would be special invitees for the Modi 3.0 swearing-in ceremony.

Besides, 30 sanitation workers from MCD and some government hospitals also have been invited.

All of them gathered at the residence of the former Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for high tea before the ceremony.

The workers said they were touched by the gesture.

Fifty-year-old Muni Thakur from Godda in Jharkhand thanked the Prime Minister for giving him such an opportunity. “We have never received such recognition and appreciation. I had never in my dream imagined that I would be a part of such a grand occasion.”

Thakur also expressed his desire of taking a selfie with the Prime Minister, if allowed, to preserve the memory.

Another worker, Anand Kumar Jaiswal, from Bihar said, “India will progress under Modi’s leadership. We want him to lead the country for the next 50 years. He has worked towards holistic development, taking people from every community along.”

Seema Pawan Bohat, 44, an MCD worker, said she cannot not wait to reach the venue.

“Have always seen Modiji on television. He definitely deserves to be the Prime Minister of the country for a third time. I never thought I would be a part of this memorable event. Nobody cared for us (sanitation workers) before this,” Bohat said.

The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to start at 7.15 pm.

The 73-year-old will be equalling the feat of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who won the 1952, 1957, and 1962 general elections.

Leaders from India’s neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean Region are among the dignitaries and special invitees expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Corporate leaders, including Mukesh Ambani, Anant Ambani, Anand Piramal, Gautam Adani with his wife Priti Adani and brother Rajesh Adani, will be attending the ceremony.

Film actors like Anupam Kher and Anil Kapoor will also attend the ceremony. Former JNU student leader Shehla Rashid will take part.