NEW DELHI — Narendra Modi became India’s prime minister Monday, a little more than a week after his party scored a decisive victory at the polls.
With the soaring cream-and-red sandstone dome of the president’s house as a backdrop, Modi, 63, took the stage dressed in one of his trademark high-collared vests and read the oath of office in a commanding voice. There were no speeches, and his newly appointed cabinet took the oath with him, as is customary.
Pilots in historical airplanes perform during the public day at the ILA Berlin Air Show 2014 in Selchow, Germany, Friday, May 23, 2014. The aerospace and defense industry exhibition takes place at the southern area of Berlin-Schoenefeld airport from May 20 to 25, 2014. (AP Photo/dpa, Wolfgang Kumm)
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Modi was sworn in on the forecourt of the historic residence, Rashtrapati Bhavan, surrounded by more than 3,000 guests and double the number of security staffers to watch over a gathering of world leaders that included President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan. Sharif’s attendance was seen as a gesture of goodwill between the rival nations. It was the largest such gathering in the space.
When the votes were tallied May 16, Modi’s opposition Bharatiya Janata Party was the first to win a clear majority in the country’s lower house of Parliament. The BJP came to power on a wave of voter anger and disillusionment against the governing Congress party, whose decade of leadership was marred by a series of corruption and graft scandals.
“It’s the beginning of a new era,” said Mohammad Latief Lone, 38, a businessman from Kashmir who was in town to attend the ceremony.
In the days leading up to his swearing-in, Modi already had demonstrated that he would be a marked change from his predecessor, 81-year-old Manmohan Singh, an economist with a whispery voice who rarely held news conferences.
Modi tweeted about his conversations with world leaders such as President Obama. Earlier in the week, he wept while addressing members of his party in Parliament and spoke about his devotion to “mother” India. The morning of his swearing-in, he appeared at the memorial to the country’s spiritual father, Mohandas Gandhi, and had tea with his new cabinet members, telling them, “We have to perform.”
With the soaring cream-and-red sandstone dome of the president’s house as a backdrop, Modi, 63, took the stage dressed in one of his trademark high-collared vests and read the oath of office in a commanding voice. There were no speeches, and his newly appointed cabinet took the oath with him, as is customary.
Pilots in historical airplanes perform during the public day at the ILA Berlin Air Show 2014 in Selchow, Germany, Friday, May 23, 2014. The aerospace and defense industry exhibition takes place at the southern area of Berlin-Schoenefeld airport from May 20 to 25, 2014. (AP Photo/dpa, Wolfgang Kumm)
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Modi was sworn in on the forecourt of the historic residence, Rashtrapati Bhavan, surrounded by more than 3,000 guests and double the number of security staffers to watch over a gathering of world leaders that included President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan. Sharif’s attendance was seen as a gesture of goodwill between the rival nations. It was the largest such gathering in the space.
When the votes were tallied May 16, Modi’s opposition Bharatiya Janata Party was the first to win a clear majority in the country’s lower house of Parliament. The BJP came to power on a wave of voter anger and disillusionment against the governing Congress party, whose decade of leadership was marred by a series of corruption and graft scandals.
“It’s the beginning of a new era,” said Mohammad Latief Lone, 38, a businessman from Kashmir who was in town to attend the ceremony.
In the days leading up to his swearing-in, Modi already had demonstrated that he would be a marked change from his predecessor, 81-year-old Manmohan Singh, an economist with a whispery voice who rarely held news conferences.
Modi tweeted about his conversations with world leaders such as President Obama. Earlier in the week, he wept while addressing members of his party in Parliament and spoke about his devotion to “mother” India. The morning of his swearing-in, he appeared at the memorial to the country’s spiritual father, Mohandas Gandhi, and had tea with his new cabinet members, telling them, “We have to perform.”
