Modi's swearing-in: UPA ignores turnout of political leaders

New Delhi: The Centre today downplayed the presence of leading political leaders at the swearing-in function of Narendra Modi, who assumed office of Chief Minister of Gujarat for the fourth consecutive time. “I don’t think it is essential to tilt at windmills and read too much and extrapolate too much on certain people congregating for what is a formal ceremony of assumption of office,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari told reporters here. [caption id=“attachment_569876” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Narendra Modi during his swearing-in ceremony. PTI.[/caption] He was asked whether the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa at Modi’s swearing-in was an indication towards political alignments for the 2014 general elections. Also in attendance at the function were Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, Indian National Lok Dal leader Om Prakash Chautala, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, his cousin and MNS chief Raj Thackeray and RPI leader Ramdas Athawale, besides the BJP leadership. “I think it eventually depends on the state government concerned or the chief ministers concerned on whom he chooses to invite and whom he chooses not to invite, who chooses to attend and who chooses not to attend,” Tewari said. Modi’s swearing-in ceremony was boycotted by Congress and NDA constituent JD(U). Though an NDA partner, JD(U) had contested the Gujarat elections separately and won one seat. Modi was sworn in as Chief Minister for the fourth time at the head of a 17-member ministry at a public ceremony in Ahmedabad. PTI