Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony: neighborhood-first policy and SAGAR vision in focus

After inviting SAARC and BIMSTEC nations for the 2014 and 2019 swearing-in ceremonies, India kept up with its neighbourhood-first policy and invited dignitaries from 7 neighbouring nations and the Indian Ocean region for the Prime minister-designate Narendra Modi’s third swearing-in ceremony.

Displaying their commitment to the policy and the SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision, India invited President of Maldives, Mohd Muizzu; President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe; Vice President of Seychelles, Ahmed Afif, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina; Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth; Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachada and Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay.

While India's neighbourhood first policy is about engagement with neighbouring nations of Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Myanmar; India has no bilateral ties with the Taliban regime of Afghanistan and has also avoided inviting Myanmar which is under the rule of a military junta.

During his visit to the Indian Ocean island states of Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka in 2015, Modi launched the SAGAR vision through which India aims to strengthen its economic and security ties with the neighbouring nations in the Indian Ocean region.

With SAGAR, India not only hopes to enhance its maritime capabilities but also counter China's Belt and Road Initiative, through which it has constantly tried to increase its influence in the Indian Ocean region.

As per Observer Research Foundation, SAGAR carries out patrols, and naval exercises with Japan, the US, Bangladesh, Australia, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Thailand. The exercises help in enhancing cooperation and countering illegal activities like drug trafficking, maritime terrorism, human trafficking, armed robbery, etc.

Who attended in 2014?

The new government took an unprecedented step of inviting the SAARC nation leaders - Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Maldives’ Abdullah Yameen Abdul Gayoom, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Sri Lanka’s Mahinda Rajapaksa, Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, Bhutan’s Tshering Tobgay, and Bangladesh parliament speaker Shirin Sharmin along with Mauritian PM Ravichandran Ramagloom.

Who attended in 2019?

The leaders of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation or BIMSTEC were invited for Modi's 2nd swearing-in ceremony. The group which includes South Asian and South East Asian countries of Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan.

Timing of PM Modi's swearing-in

Narendra Modi's oath-taking ceremony for the consecutive third term is scheduled to take place on June 9 at 7.15 pm.