Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday received congratulatory telephone calls from Pakistan PM Imran Khan, former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed, and former Nepal PM Madhav Nepal greeting him on his victory in the Lok Sabha election 2019. PM Modi thanked all the dignitaries for their wishes, conveying his message to each of them.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar, said that PM Modi "thanked the Prime Minister of Pakistan for his telephone call and greetings. Recalling his initiatives in line with his government’s neighbourhood first policy, Prime Minister Modi referred to his earlier suggestion to the Prime Minister of Pakistan to fight poverty jointly. He stressed that creating trust and an environment free of violence and terrorism were essential for fostering cooperation for peace, progress and prosperity in our region."
Nasheed congratulated PM Modi on the historic mandate and noted that the relationship between Maldives and India had deepened in recent times. He stressed the importance of close cooperation to fight the forces of extremism and radicalisation in the region. "The Prime Minister thanked him for his felicitation and reiterated his commitment to continue fostering a strong, mutually beneficial and all-around partnership between the two countries for peace, security and development in the region," said Kumar.
"Madhav Nepal warmly congratulated the Prime Minister on leading his Party and Alliance to a grand, historic and landslide victory. He expressed the confidence that India’s emergence as a front-ranking world power would qualitatively uplift the entire region. Thanking Nepal for his warm wishes, the Prime Minister expressed his earnest desire to further strengthen and deepen the historically friendly and multifaceted ties between India and Nepal," further said the MEA Spokesperson.
In the Lok Sabha election 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Narendra Modi won 303 seats and its alliance partners in the NDA won 50 more.
On Saturday, President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Narendra Modi to the office of the Prime Minister and asked him to decide the council of ministers, according to a communique issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President also asked PM Modi to determine the date and time of the swearing-in-ceremony which will be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital.
