Modi appointed 14th premier of India; swearing-in on May 26

From May 26, Monday evening the world will refer to him as “Indian Prime Minister”. Narendra Modi, who led his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a stunning victory in the just-concluded Indian elections and brought single-party rule for the first time in three decades, was on Tuesday appointed by President Pranab Mukherjee as India’s 14th prime minister.
Modi will take oath on Monday at 6 p.m. and will be the first Indian prime minister to have been born in independent India.
After his election as leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party, Modi, who fought a no-holds-barred fierce electoral battle and used harsh words against his political rivals, turned a new leaf as he gave an emotional speech in Hindi. He stumped BJP patriarch LK Advani for a moment when he said Advani used a word in his speech and said that he would request the senior leader never to use that word again.
The entire audience, including a foxed Advani , waited with bated breath for Modi to complete his sentence as he took a dramatic pause and gulped water.
Then he spoke thus: “Advani ji said Narendra bhai has done us a favor. I would request him not to use that word. Can a mother’s devotion be a favor? Like India is my mother, BJP is my mother too. A son can never do a favor for his mother. The party has done me a favor by giving me an opportunity to serve it.”
A little later, Modi donned the hat of a statesman and sought to build bridges with his political rivals, particularly the Congress party, with whom he had fought an acerbic war of words for the last eight months ever since the BJP had anointed him as the party’s prime ministerial candidate on Sept. 13 last.
He appreciated the work of the past governments since independence and said every government and its leaders have contributed to the welfare of the country and his government will carry forward whatever good they have done. He emphatically said that neither he nor anyone in the BJP was of the view that the past governments have done nothing.
Modi said the fact that the people of India have given a clear majority to the BJP on its own showed that the people have voted for hope and faith and added that “I will do everything to fulfill their aspirations”. He said his government’s motto will be “With everyone and for everyone’s development”.
He added thus: “This is the time for new hope and strength … I will strive my best to fulfill the responsibility you have reposed in me. You will never have to look down on the work I will do.”
The prime minister-designate said in 2019 he will meet the members of Parliament again with a report card and pledged that he and his party colleagues were not here for any positions but for a responsibility.
He said: “My government is not for myself but for the country. The government is for the poor and we want to do something for them.”