By Spy Uganda
Kampala: President Yoweri Museveni has congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon his victory in national elections which were concluded last week.
”On behalf of the government and the people of Uganda, I congratulate His Excellency Narendra Modi & the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on their victory in the national elections. The people of Africa share common aspirations and goals with Indians. When India won her independence in 1947, Africans were inspired to fight and overthrow the yoke of colonialism. Today, all of Africa enjoys political freedom” Museveni said in a statement.
”We, therefore, recognise India as a strategic ally. The people of India and Uganda share common interests, including the pursuit of peace and prosperity. We will continue working together to ensure the well-being of our citizens” he added.
India’s President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Modi at a ceremony on Sunday at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the president’s palace in New Delhi, attended by thousands of dignitaries, including the leaders of seven neighbouring countries, Bollywood stars and industrialists.
“Honoured to serve Bharat,” Modi posted on X, minutes before he was sworn in, referring to India’s name in Indian languages.
Supporters cheered, clapped and chanted “Modi, Modi” as the 73-year-old leader, dressed in a white kurta tunic and blue half jacket, was called to take his oath.
After being sworn in, Modi, flanked by officials from his Hindu-nationalist party and leaders of his coalition partners, vowed to protect India’s constitution.
Modi was followed by senior ministers in the previous government: Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Piyush Goyal, among others, whose portfolios are yet to be announced.
Modi, who started as a publicist of the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is only the second person after independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru to serve a third straight term as prime minister.
He secured the third term after a multi-stage election that concluded on June 1 with the support of 14 regional parties in his BJP-led National Democratic Alliance(NDA). In the previous two terms, his party had won an outright majority.
The NDA won 293 seats in the 543-member lower house of parliament, more than the 272 needed to form a government.
Modi’s BJP won 240 seats on its own, a weakened verdict which could slow India’s fiscal tightening according to analysts.
