Symbolism in Modi swearing –in ceremony

The Modi oath taking is going to set new bench marks. Amongst the SAARC leaders, newly elected law makers, heads of various political parties big and small, and some 3000 special invitees from across the country will be a small-time tea vendor from Vadodra in Gujarat, Kiran Mahida.

He was one of the five persons who had proposed the name of Modi when he entered the Lok Sabha fray from Vadodra. Giving him company will be a weaver, a boatman and a singer, from Varanasi who had proposed Modi’ name in the Hindu Holy city on the banks of River Ganga. Girdhar Malviya, grandson of great freedom fighter and founder of Banaras Hindu University, Madanmohan Malviya, who has retired as a High Court judge also got an invitation since he too had proposed Modi’s name for Varanasi.

All this adds up to the symbolism the swearing in ceremony of India’s 15th Prime Minister has acquired. It also contributes to further strengthening Brand Modi. The BJP mascot had built his electoral campaign on humble beginning as a tea seller at a railway station and on trains in native Gujarat to supplement the income of his father.

Thespian Amitabh Bachchan, Nightingale Lata Mangeshkar, and Screen Play writer, Salim Khan will be amongst the honored guests seated at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the party vice president Rahul Gandhi will also attend the ceremony, it was announced this evening after Ms Gandhi was unanimously elected leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party.

There were some doubts earlier whether the mother-son duo would attend the oath taking firstly because the Congress had suffered its worst poll reverses and secondly because they and Modi had exchanged digs at each other, which some pollsters termed as trash-speak.

The open - air oath taking is set for 6 pm by when the sun will be setting and thus bringing down the temperature, which these days is hovering around 30-35 degrees Celsius. This setting too offers its own symbolism for the open-air ceremony- as one sun is setting another sun is raises on the Raisina Hill, which houses the red-stone British era Rashtrapati Bhavan, according to the BJP faithful.

The entire proceedings will be beamed to mega screens across the city, particularly the historic Chandini Chowk opposite the Red Fort in Down Town Delhi. A security blanket has been thrown around the city with massive deployment of security personnel and vigil mounted from air and ground alike. The oath taking area has been declared a no-fly zone.

On the ministry formation front, there is still a thick veil of secrecy with the usually garrulous BJP leaders observing ‘Mauna Vrata’ on matters Modi cabinet. So for the record what is seen and noted were busy bees trooping in and out of Gujarat Bhavan where Modi is staying and BJP president Rajnath’s house on Ashok Road.

Amongst those who had meetings with them were Amit Shah, Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu, Uma Bharti, Maneka Gandhi, and Republican Party of India leader Ramdas Athawale.

Going by present indications, the Modi cabinet will be 20-25 strong and the new government will have a two tier set-up of junior ministers and technocrats to help carry forward Modi agenda.

- Asian Tribune -