Narendra Modi will be sworn in as India’s prime minister Monday, with the pro-business leader already signalling bold intentions by slashing his cabinet and welcoming his Pakistani counterpart to the ceremony.
Modi, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, paid a visit to the memorial of India’s independence hero Mahatma Gandhi early Monday, before then stopping to meet Atal Bihari Vajpayee, his party’s only previous premier, who is now confined to his home in Delhi at the age of 89.
His new cabinet was expected to be announced ahead of his inauguration at 6:00pm (1230 GMT)
Modi, son of a tea-stall owner, secured the biggest majority in 30 years at the election, trouncing the scandal-plagued Congress on a promise of reviving manufacturing and investment to create millions of jobs.
His pledge to overhaul the flagging economy won over voters, along with his rags-to-riches story and reputation as a clean and efficient chief minister of prosperous western Gujarat state.
