Next 5 years as important as 1942-1947 period: Modi

New Delhi/Ahemdabad, May 26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the next five years will be the time to regain the rightful position of India in the world order.

He was speaking here at a function following the Lok Sabha election victory, which was kept simple and shorn of pomp because of the Surat fire tragedy.

“Next five years will be very important in the history of the country, as was the period between 1942 to 1947,” Modi said addressing a huge gathering.

“Next five years will be the time to regain the rightful position of India in the world order. In the past our country had that place. I am sure India will regain its importance in the world order,” he said.

Modi also expressed grief over the death of 22 students in Surat building fire tragedy.

“Till yesterday, I was in two minds whether to go for this felicitation function or not as on one hand, there was ‘kartvya’ (duty) and on the other hand, there was ‘karuna’ (compassion) for those who died in Surat. No amount of words can reduce the grief of the families who have lost their children in that tragedy,” he said.

“On the other hand, I had to thank the people of the state and also take blessings of my mother as my duty,” the prime minister added.

Swearing-in ceremony

NEW DELHI: President Ram Nath Kovind will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the Prime Minister and other members of Union Council of Ministers on May 30 at 7 pm at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Kovind had on Saturday appointed Narendra Modi to the office of Prime Minister and requested him to advise him about the names of others to be appointed as ministers and also indicate the date of the swearing-in ceremony.

Modi was elected as the leader of the NDA on Saturday. 

Later, he called on the President in his capacity as leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party, which has majority support in the House of the People following the general election to the 17th Lok Sabha.

The President, exercising powers under the Constitution, appointed Modi to the office of Prime Minister of India and sought his advise about the names of others to be appointed members of the Union Council of Ministers and indicate the date and time of the swearing-in-ceremony to be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Earlier on Saturday, a delegation of the NDA led by BJP president Amit Shah, along with Prakash Singh Badal, Rajnath Singh, Nitish Kumar, Ram Vilas Paswan, Sushma Swaraj, Uddhav Thakeray, Nitin Gadkari, K Palaniswami, Conrad Sangma and Neiphiu Rio, called on the President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

They handed over a letter to the President stating Modi has been elected the leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party.

Letters of support from NDA constituent parties were also handed over to the President.

The NDA together has a strength of 353 MPs in the 543-member Lok Sabha out of which the BJP has a majority of 303 Members of Parliament.

Modi seeks mother's blessings

After leading the BJP to a massive victory in the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his nonagenarian mother Heeraben on Sunday and sought her blessings.

She lives with the PM's younger brother Pankaj in 'Vrindavan Bungalows' in Raysan village near Gandhinagar.

Ahead of his swearing-in on May 30 as prime minister for his second term, Modi arrived here and attended a felicitation event at the JP Chowk in the Khanpur area in the evening. 

Modi spent about 20 minutes with his mother, touching her feet and seeking blessings.

He is scheduled to stay at the Raj Bhavan for the night. 

He will leave for his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh Monday morning. — PTI/TNS