Nawaz in Delhi: All set for Modi swearing-in
Monday, 26 May 2014
Narendra Modi was to be sworn in on Monday evening as Prime Minister of India in a ceremony attended by a slew of foreign dignitaries – including Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa was one of the dignitaries to arrive early on Monday. Sharif said he was carrying a message of peace to India as he landed in New Delhi around 11am (Indian local time). Sharif accepted Modi’s invitation on Saturday. His presence at the inauguration could signal an easing of tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, analysts said. Rajapaksa was among the first leaders to reach out to Modi after his election victory. But after an invitation was extended to him, Tamil Nadu erupted in protest. Chief minister J Jayalalithaa is unlikely to attend the event to protest his presence. MDMK chief Vaiko on Friday met Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh and lodged his protest against the invitation extended to Rajapaksa. Vaiko was the first to raise the demand that Rajapaksa not be allowed to participate in Modi’s swearing-in. Bangladesh’s Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury will attend the ceremony instead of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who is in Japan on a 4-day official visit, according to a news agency.