The Evening Wrap: President Murmu appoints Modi as Prime Minister; swearing-in ceremony on June 9

President Droupadi Murmu on June 7 formally invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to form the next government, and begin his third successive term as Prime Minister, after the National Democratic Alliance’s Parliamentary Party elected him as its leader. The new government will be sworn in on Sunday, June 9 at 7.15 p.m., the the Rashtrapati Bhavan announced. Earlier in the day, leaders of NDA parties, including Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (U), and Maharashtra’s Shiv Sena Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met the President Murmu and handed over their letters of support to the new government. At the meeting of the NDA Parliamentary Party held at the Central Hall of the old Parliament House, now termed the Samvidhan Sadan, the Prime Minister evoked the spirit of a coalition government, stressing that he would strive to ensure sarvamat, or consensus, in all the decisions of his next government. “Governments may be made on the basis of numbers, but the country is run on consensus,” he said, asserting that the NDA was an organic alliance committed to the principle of “nation first”. Kicking off the proceedings at the NDA parliamentary party meeting, senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh proposed Mr. Modi’s name as the leader of the parliamentary party, and as the Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha, in which he was seconded by other senior leaders, including the BJP’s Nitin Gadkari and Amit Shah, Mr. Naidu, Mr. Kumar, Mr. Shinde, Chirag Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party, and Pawan Kalyan of the Jana Sena. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that mutual trust was at the core of this alliance, which is committed to the principle of ‘sarv pantha sambhava (all sects are equal)‘. Claiming that NDA partners were all known for good governance, he noted that the alliance was forming a government at the Centre at a time when its members were also in power in 22 States. Mr. Modi took potshots at the Congress, pointing out that even after 10 years in the Opposition, the party had not managed to reach a hundred seats. He said that the Opposition had made every attempt to paint the NDA’s election victory as a loss, but insisted that impression could not be created. “There were efforts to not acknowledge this very victory, to cast a shadow of defeat. But all such efforts remained fruitless,” he said. Defending the democratic process in the country made a pointed jab, asking whether “EVMs were still alive” when the Lok Sabha results came in, referring to the Opposition’s doubts regarding Electronic Voting Machines. His NDA allies were fulsome in their praise for the Prime Minister, with Mr. Naidu calling him “a man with a vision and a zeal”, whose execution of plans was “perfect”. Terming Mr. Modi the “right man at the right time”, the TDP chief said that India’s enhanced prestige on the global stage was due to the Prime Minister’s decade-long tenure. Mr. Kumar, known for his frequents flips from one side of the political divide to the other, said that he would “be with PM Modi at all times” and that the Opposition, which had “won a few seats now, will lose them all the next time”, a remark that drew laughter from the assembled MPs and leaders. After the NDA meeting, senior leaders of the alliance got into a huddle with BJP president J.P. Nadda, and senior BJP leaders Mr. Shah and Mr. Singh to discuss the allocation of portfolios and Ministries. Mr. Modi said that his swearing-in ceremony would be held on June 9, alongside his new Council of Ministers and promised that, as in the past, the new government too would serve the people. The swearing-in ceremony will be attended by the leaders of neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremasinghe, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, and Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kumar Dahal “Prachanda”. Today the JD(U) and TDP are with them, tomorrow they might join us: Sanjay Raut Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on June 7 said that the BJP-led NDA might form the government on June 9, but running it will be challenging for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He questioned the existence of the NDA, asking if leaders like Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar truly represent it, noting that their alliances can change. “Today they support the NDA; tomorrow, they might join us,” the Rajya Sabha member said, adding that JD(U) leaders are already opposing the BJP’s Agniveer Scheme and advocating for discussions on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Raut in reference to senior JD(U) leader K.C. Tyagi and Telugu Desam Party supremo Naidu said, “Whatever the PM wanted to convey during the political campaigns, whether it was about UCC or Agniveer, it faced opposition from their allies. Tomorrow, even the Ram Mandir issue may face opposition. While Mr. Modi said that if the INDIA alliance comes to power, Muslims will be given reservation, Mr. Naidu has advocated for reservation. What will Mr. Modi do? There are many issues under discussion. They want to form the government, let them try.” Taking a dig at Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Raut said, “While the BJP was aiming for a Congress mukt bharat (Congress-free India), we have made it bahumat mukt BJP (BJP majority-free). Nevertheless, the BJP still aims to form a government, which is the essence of democracy.” Affirming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statement on the alleged stock market scam, the Sena (UBT) leader said, “Amit Shah has been actively involved in share market dealings; even after assuming the position of Home Minister, he maintained significant involvement in the share market. He should be held accountable for this scam.” Gandhi raised allegations of Modi and Shah being “directly involved” in the country’s “biggest stock market scam,” where retail investors lost ₹30 lakh crore, and demanded a probe on Thursday. Speaking about the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Raut stated, “As the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) put up a strong front against the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections and secured the majority, we aim to do the same in the upcoming election, targeting at least 180-185 seats. There is no big brother; we all supported each other. Whether it was Nana Patole, Sharad Pawar, or Uddhav Thackeray, we campaigned together and collectively won the seats.” The elections for 288 Assembly constituencies in the Western State are scheduled around October this year. Kangana Ranaut slap: CISF constable says her mother was at farmer’s protest The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable who allegedly slapped BJP MP Kangana Ranaut at the Chandigarh airport on June 6, 2024, has said that her mother was among the farmers holding a sit-in protest against the farm laws, which now have been repealed. “She (Kangana) stated that the farmers are sitting there for ₹100. Will she go and sit there? My mother was sitting there and protesting when she gave this statement...” the constable said. Ranaut was allegedly slapped by the constable when she was on her way to Delhi to attend a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), scheduled for today. The CISF has suspended the constable and investigation is under way. “It is unfortunate whatever has happened. For a security person to behave like this at Chandigarh airport is very unfortunate. Investigation will be done and I have got information that the security person has been suspended,” BJP leader Jairam Thakur said. Reacting to the Kangana Ranaut slap incident, Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh called it “unfortunate”. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini asserted that action will be taken against the accused. Biden apologises to Ukraine’s Zelensky for monthslong holdup to weapons that let Russia make gains U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday for the first time publicly apologised to Ukraine for a monthslong holdup in American military assistance that let Russia make gains on the battlefield, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for bipartisan U.S. support “like it was during World War II.” Speaking in Paris a day after they attended 80th anniversary events of D-Day in Normandy, Biden apologised to the Ukrainian people for the weeks of not knowing if more assistance would come while conservative Republicans in Congress held up a $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine for six months. Still, the Democratic president insisted that the American people were standing by Ukraine for the long haul. “We’re still in. Completely. Thoroughly,” he said. Zelensky pressed for all Americans to support his country’s defense against Russia’s invasion, and he thanked lawmakers for eventually coming together to approve the weapons package, which has allowed Ukraine to stem Russian advances in recent weeks. “It’s very important that in this unity, United States of America, all American people stay with Ukraine like it was during World War II,” Zelensky said. “How the United States helped to save human lives, to save Europe. And we count on your continuing support in standing with us shoulder to shoulder.” The United States is by far Kyiv’s biggest supplier of wartime support, and Ukraine is trying to fend off an intense Russian offensive in eastern areas of the country. The push is focused on the Ukrainian border regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk, but Ukrainian officials say it could spread as Russia’s bigger army seeks to make its advantage tell. The offensive is seeking to exploit Kyiv’s shortages of ammunition and troops along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. That shortfall in weaponry came after U.S. military aid was held up in Congress for six months before Biden in April signed the $61 billion package into law. The slow pace of delivery of pledged Western weaponry has long frustrated Zelensky, as has Biden’s hesitation over supplying more hardware for fear of provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin. That has caused tension in their relationship. The U.S. will send about $225 million in military aid to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Thursday. The latest package includes munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, as well as mortar systems and an array of artillery rounds, officials said. Easing their stance amid Russia’s most recent onslaught and with Ukraine’s army reeling, some NATO allies including the U.S. said last week they would allow Ukraine to use weapons they deliver to Kyiv to carry out limited attacks inside Russia. That step brought a furious response from the Kremlin, which warned that Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II could spin out of control. In Brief: P.S. Tamang swearing-in deferred by a day The swearing-in ceremony of P.S. Tamang as Sikkim Chief Minister was deferred by a day and the SKM supremo will now take oath for the second term on June 10, party leaders said on June 7. The decision to defer the swearing-in ceremony to June 10 was taken during the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha Legislature Party meeting, held earlier in the day at the Chief Minister’s official residence, Mintokgang, as Tamang will visit Delhi on June 9 to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Narendra Modi, they said. Bengaluru court grants bail to Rahul Gandhi in defamation case Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was granted bail by a special court in Bengaluru in a defamation case filed by BJP’s Karnataka unit against the publication of advertisements in newspapers labelling the BJP as corrupt during the 2023 Legislative Assembly polls campaign in Karnataka. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar were granted bail by the court on the first day of hearing on June 1. The court had directed Mr. Gandhi to appear in person on June 7. RBI keeps policy rate unchanged for eighth time in a row The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on June 7 decided to keep the policy rate unchanged for the eighth time in a row, saying it will maintain a tight vigil on inflation. The rate increase cycle was paused in April last year after six consecutive rate hikes, aggregating to 250 basis points since May 2022. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 07 June 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( President Murmu appoints Narendra Modi as Prime Minister; swearing-in ceremony on June 9 President Droupadi Murmu on June 7 formally invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to form the next government, and begin his third successive term as Prime Minister, after the National Democratic Alliance’s Parliamentary Party elected him as its leader. The new government will be [sworn in on Sunday, June 9 at 7.15 p.m.]( the the Rashtrapati Bhavan announced. Earlier in the day, leaders of NDA parties, including Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (U), and Maharashtra’s Shiv Sena Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met the President Murmu and handed over their letters of support to the new government. At the meeting of the NDA Parliamentary Party held at the Central Hall of the old Parliament House, now termed the Samvidhan Sadan, the Prime Minister evoked the spirit of a coalition government, stressing that he would strive to ensure sarvamat, or consensus, in all the decisions of his next government. “Governments may be made on the basis of numbers, but the country is run on consensus,” he said, asserting that the NDA was an organic alliance committed to the principle of “nation first”. Kicking off the proceedings at the NDA parliamentary party meeting, senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh proposed Mr. Modi’s name as the leader of the parliamentary party, and as the Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha, in which he was seconded by other senior leaders, including the BJP’s Nitin Gadkari and Amit Shah, Mr. Naidu, Mr. Kumar, Mr. Shinde, Chirag Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party, and Pawan Kalyan of the Jana Sena. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that mutual trust was at the core of this alliance, which is committed to the principle of ‘sarv pantha sambhava (all sects are equal)‘. Claiming that NDA partners were all known for good governance, he noted that the alliance was forming a government at the Centre at a time when its members were also in power in 22 States. Mr. Modi took potshots at the Congress, pointing out that even after 10 years in the Opposition, the party had not managed to reach a hundred seats. He said that the Opposition had made every attempt to paint the NDA’s election victory as a loss, but insisted that impression could not be created. “There were efforts to not acknowledge this very victory, to cast a shadow of defeat. But all such efforts remained fruitless,” he said. Defending the democratic process in the country made a pointed jab, asking whether “EVMs were still alive” when the Lok Sabha results came in, referring to the Opposition’s doubts regarding Electronic Voting Machines. His NDA allies were fulsome in their praise for the Prime Minister, with Mr. Naidu calling him “a man with a vision and a zeal”, whose execution of plans was “perfect”. Terming Mr. Modi the “right man at the right time”, the TDP chief said that India’s enhanced prestige on the global stage was due to the Prime Minister’s decade-long tenure. Mr. Kumar, known for his frequents flips from one side of the political divide to the other, said that he would “be with PM Modi at all times” and that the Opposition, which had “won a few seats now, will lose them all the next time”, a remark that drew laughter from the assembled MPs and leaders. After the NDA meeting, senior leaders of the alliance got into a huddle with BJP president J.P. Nadda, and senior BJP leaders Mr. Shah and Mr. Singh to discuss the allocation of portfolios and Ministries. Mr. Modi said that his swearing-in ceremony would be held on June 9, alongside his new Council of Ministers and promised that, as in the past, the new government too would serve the people. The swearing-in ceremony will be attended by the leaders of neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremasinghe, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, and Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kumar Dahal “Prachanda”. Today the JD(U) and TDP are with them, tomorrow they might join us: Sanjay Raut Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on June 7 said that the BJP-led NDA might form the government on June 9, but running it will be challenging for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He questioned the existence of the NDA, asking if leaders like Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar truly represent it, noting that their alliances can change. “[Today they support the NDA; tomorrow, they might join us]( the Rajya Sabha member said, adding that JD(U) leaders are already opposing the BJP’s Agniveer Scheme and advocating for discussions on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Raut in reference to senior JD(U) leader K.C. Tyagi and Telugu Desam Party supremo Naidu said, “Whatever the PM wanted to convey during the political campaigns, whether it was about UCC or Agniveer, it faced opposition from their allies. Tomorrow, even the Ram Mandir issue may face opposition. While Mr. Modi said that if the INDIA alliance comes to power, Muslims will be given reservation, Mr. Naidu has advocated for reservation. What will Mr. Modi do? There are many issues under discussion. They want to form the government, let them try.” Taking a dig at Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Raut said, “While the BJP was aiming for a Congress mukt bharat (Congress-free India), we have made it bahumat mukt BJP (BJP majority-free). Nevertheless, the BJP still aims to form a government, which is the essence of democracy.” Affirming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statement on the alleged stock market scam, the Sena (UBT) leader said, “Amit Shah has been actively involved in share market dealings; even after assuming the position of Home Minister, he maintained significant involvement in the share market. He should be held accountable for this scam.” Gandhi raised allegations of Modi and Shah being “directly involved” in the country’s “biggest stock market scam,” where retail investors lost ₹30 lakh crore, and demanded a probe on Thursday. Speaking about the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Raut stated, “As the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) put up a strong front against the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections and secured the majority, we aim to do the same in the upcoming election, targeting at least 180-185 seats. There is no big brother; we all supported each other. Whether it was Nana Patole, Sharad Pawar, or Uddhav Thackeray, we campaigned together and collectively won the seats.” The elections for 288 Assembly constituencies in the Western State are scheduled around October this year. Kangana Ranaut slap: CISF constable says her mother was at farmer’s protest The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable who allegedly slapped BJP MP Kangana Ranaut at the Chandigarh airport on June 6, 2024, has said that [her mother was among the farmers holding a sit-in protest against the farm laws]( which now have been repealed. “She (Kangana) stated that the farmers are sitting there for ₹100. Will she go and sit there? My mother was sitting there and protesting when she gave this statement...” the constable said. Ranaut was allegedly slapped by the constable when she was on her way to Delhi to attend a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), scheduled for today. The CISF has suspended the constable and investigation is under way. “It is unfortunate whatever has happened. For a security person to behave like this at Chandigarh airport is very unfortunate. Investigation will be done and I have got information that the security person has been suspended,” BJP leader Jairam Thakur said. Reacting to the Kangana Ranaut slap incident, Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh called it “unfortunate”. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini asserted that action will be taken against the accused. Biden apologises to Ukraine’s Zelensky for monthslong holdup to weapons that let Russia make gains U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday for the first time [publicly apologised to Ukraine]( for a monthslong holdup in American military assistance that let Russia make gains on the battlefield, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for bipartisan U.S. support “like it was during World War II.” Speaking in Paris a day after they attended 80th anniversary events of D-Day in Normandy, Biden apologised to the Ukrainian people for the weeks of not knowing if more assistance would come while conservative Republicans in Congress held up a $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine for six months. Still, the Democratic president insisted that the American people were standing by Ukraine for the long haul. “We’re still in. Completely. Thoroughly,” he said. Zelensky pressed for all Americans to support his country’s defense against Russia’s invasion, and he thanked lawmakers for eventually coming together to approve the weapons package, which has allowed Ukraine to stem Russian advances in recent weeks. “It’s very important that in this unity, United States of America, all American people stay with Ukraine like it was during World War II,” Zelensky said. “How the United States helped to save human lives, to save Europe. And we count on your continuing support in standing with us shoulder to shoulder.” The United States is by far Kyiv’s biggest supplier of wartime support, and Ukraine is trying to fend off an intense Russian offensive in eastern areas of the country. The push is focused on the Ukrainian border regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk, but Ukrainian officials say it could spread as Russia’s bigger army seeks to make its advantage tell. The offensive is seeking to exploit Kyiv’s shortages of ammunition and troops along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. That shortfall in weaponry came after U.S. military aid was held up in Congress for six months before Biden in April signed the $61 billion package into law. The slow pace of delivery of pledged Western weaponry has long frustrated Zelensky, as has Biden’s hesitation over supplying more hardware for fear of provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin. That has caused tension in their relationship. The U.S. will send about $225 million in military aid to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Thursday. The latest package includes munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, as well as mortar systems and an array of artillery rounds, officials said. Easing their stance amid Russia’s most recent onslaught and with Ukraine’s army reeling, some NATO allies including the U.S. said last week they would allow Ukraine to use weapons they deliver to Kyiv to carry out limited attacks inside Russia. That step brought a furious response from the Kremlin, which warned that Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II could spin out of control. In Brief: P.S. Tamang swearing-in deferred by a day The [swearing-in ceremony of P.S. Tamang as Sikkim Chief Minister was deferred by a day]( and the SKM supremo will now take oath for the second term on June 10, party leaders said on June 7. The decision to defer the swearing-in ceremony to June 10 was taken during the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha Legislature Party meeting, held earlier in the day at the Chief Minister’s official residence, Mintokgang, as Tamang will visit Delhi on June 9 to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Narendra Modi, they said. Bengaluru court grants bail to Rahul Gandhi in defamation case Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was [granted bail by a special court in Bengaluru in a defamation case]( filed by BJP’s Karnataka unit against the publication of advertisements in newspapers labelling the BJP as corrupt during the 2023 Legislative Assembly polls campaign in Karnataka. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar were granted bail by the court on the first day of hearing on June 1. The court had directed Mr. Gandhi to appear in person on June 7. RBI keeps policy rate unchanged for eighth time in a row The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on June 7 [decided to keep the policy rate unchanged for the eighth time in a row]( saying it will maintain a tight vigil on inflation. The rate increase cycle was paused in April last year after six consecutive rate hikes, aggregating to 250 basis points since May 2022. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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