Mini India before green-yellow lit Rashtrapati Bhavan

New Delhi: Moni Karmakar carried her brother’s photograph on her journey to Delhi from Purulia. He had been killed allegedly in a political violence in Bengal. It was her first time in Delhi and she was visibly enamoured with the imposing Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Just rows across her sat Govind Singh Rajput, who had come from Barmer in Rajasthan. Sporting a Modi jacket to celebrate his leader, Rajput declared proudly that he had helped in decimating Congress for his leader.

The forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan resembled a mini India on Thursday evening. Bearing the sweltering Delhi heat, thousands of people queued up for tedious multiple security checks. Sadhus with matted hair, ex-servicemen wearing regimental caps, fashion designers, spiritual gurus, danseuses were all there to witness their leader taking oath for a second time and making history.

The forecourt was full of BJP functionaries from across India. Retired Wing Commander LN Gupta, who heads BJP’s ex-servicemen organisation, said: “Everyone is waiting to witness history. Why else would such a crowd brave so much.” For Sukumar Mondal from Cooch Behar it wasn’t exactly a happy moment. “I am still grieving my brother’s death. Trinamool Congress people killed him. We didn’t know what had hit us.” Mondal had started from Cooch Behar on Tuesday after his district’s BJP office-bearers contacted him. “I felt nice that they told me Modiji wanted me to be here for the swearing in,” he said.

Huge screens were placed to ensure people away from the dais did not miss anything. Every minute detail was taken care of. Ample supply of water bottles had been arranged. A clear commentary in Hindi and English explained the significance of the venue and even history of the President’s bodyguards.

As the sun set and the heat became bearable to enjoy the beautiful green-yellow lighting of Rashtrapati Bhavan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood on the dais, greeted like a rockstar.

The crowd screamed his name while others chanted “Bharat Mata ki Jai.” At 7 pm, President Ram Nath Kovind came down the stairs of Durbar Hall flanked by his bodyguards. At 7:02 pm, he announced the name of PM designate Narendra Modi and kickstarted the grand ceremony. As Modi signed his name on the book, chants of “Bharat Mata ki jai” filled the air again.