Oath today, buzz on Amit Shah role

Befitting the massive mandate in Lok Sabha elections, the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his council of ministers will perhaps be the grandest of events that the Rashtrapati Bhavan has so far.

Almost 8,000 guests, including heads of state from BIMSTEC member countries and world leaders from several other countries will attend the event that will begin at 7 pm onwards and end with sumptuous dinner. Special arrangements have been made at forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan that has a capacity of 6,000 guests. In 2014 too, the ceremony was held at the same venue but was attended by about 5,000 guests.

PM Modi has used the event as a diplomatic initiative to send a subtle message to China and Pakistan that goes in sync with his government's 'Neighbourhood First' policy by inviting heads of BIMSTEC countries.

The event will also be attended by chief ministers of most of the states, NDA leaders, diplomats, ambassadors, celebrities and members of Opposition, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. It would be interesting to see how PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi exchange pleasantries after fighting one of the bitterest electoral battle.

More than 100 non-resident Indians or NRIs are also flying to Delhi to witness the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi, sources said.

The guests attending the event will be treated to high tea that will have snacks, including samosas, and paneer items apart from sweets. This will be followed by a private dinner hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind for the leaders from BIMSTEC countries. Being served late in the evening, the dinner will be light. The Prime Minister will also attend the dinner, along with some officials.

The visiting foreign dignitaries will be treated to a host of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes - soup, fish, chicken, vegetables and Dal Raisina — a special delicacy of the Rashtrapati Bhavan that takes 48 hours to cook.

"Dal Raisina is a speciality of our kitchen. Its special recipe was developed here in Rashtrapati Bhavan. It takes 48 hours to prepare. The process of preparing it started on May 28 and it will be ready by tomorrow (Thursday). It's a variant of popular 'maa ki daal'," the Press Secretary said.

Expect A Grand Swearing-in Spectacle Tonight

Today’s oath-taking touted as the biggest ever ceremony to be organised on rashtrapati bhavan premises

GUESTS & OTHER VIPS

4 Presidents 

• Abdul Hamid, Bangladesh
• Maithripala Sirisena, Sri Lanka
• Sooronbay Jeenbekov, Kyrgyz Republic
• U Win Myint, Myanmar

3 Prime Ministers 

• Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Mauritius
• KP Sharma Oli, Nepal
• Dr Lotay Tshering, Bhutan

1 Special Envoy 

• Grisada Boonrach, Thailand

22 Chief Ministers including Telangana’s KCR & Andhra’s Jagan Reddy

Oppn camp Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi

On Menu 

• Rashtrapati Bhavan kitchen’s speciality dish ‘Dal Raisina’, cooked for 48 hours
• To be served to foreign delegates at the dinner to be hosted by Prez RN Kovind after the event

FM Worries

• Jaitley tweets letter to PM, opts out from new Cabinet on health grounds
• PM Modi drives to Jaitley’s home, tries to dissuade him

VENUE

• Rashtrapati Bhavan forecourt

TIME

• 7 pm to 8.30 pm

8,000+ Number of guests