Modi sworn in for second term as Indian prime minister

India’s President Ram Nath Kovind administers oath of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace in New Delhi, India May 30, 2019. Photo: Reuters

NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi has been sworn in for a second term as India’s prime minister after an overwhelming election victory for his Hindu nationalist party in a country of 1.3 billion people seeking swift economic change.

President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath to Modi and his Cabinet ministers on Thursday.

Missing from the new Cabinet were former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who stepped aside for health reasons.

The ceremony at the presidential palace was attended by several South Asian and Southeast Asian leaders as part of Modi’s effort to build economic partnerships in the region.

Modi did not invite Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, signifying that tense relations continue between the nuclear-armed rivals.

 

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from The Himalayan Times http://bit.ly/2W0Yjn8