There are moments in one’s life that make one’s soul elated. Watching Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking oath of office for the second term, was one of such moments. For the first time, ordinary workers were also invited in the Prime Minister's oath from all corners of the country. There was no limit of happiness when I received the invitation to attend swearing in ceremony from Delhi office. It felt that the party did not forget its workers even in the moment of huge victory.
On the set day, I reached Delhi's BJP headquarters to take my pass long before the time. The BJP headquarter was buzzing with activities. The team of state BJP office bearers of Jharkhand was already there and was cooperating in pass distribution. During the evening, we all went together for the Rashtrapati Bhavan. There was a line of thousands of people at the entrance to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. There was tremendous heat. But enthusiasm was also complete. The people standing in the lines were hugging each other and shaking hands.
I was thrilled to step on the premises of Rashtrapati Bhavan. I was getting a chance to enter the place that I had seen on television. In the front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the lawn had a seating arrangement of 8000 people. While the workers from West Bengal’s division level were present, on the other hand the Presidents of many countries were also present to witness this historic moment. Usually the saying is that leaders do not leave the chair, but this time there was no temptation to sit in the chair.
We were meeting all other leaders of the State and sharing experiences with smiles and laughter. Whenever a specific person entered, the announcer used to inform about his arrival. As soon as the Prime Minister's convoy entered the Rashtrapati Bhavan, at 6:45 pm, the entire Rashtrapati Bhavan was resonant with the slogan of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. Everybody sat in their fixed place. As the watch showed seven trumpets played bugle and the President of India arrived.
Finally, came the moment for which crores of BJP workers had worked tirelessly for a long time. The oath of Prime Minister started at 7:02 PM. As soon as Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his oath with first sentence – “I Narendra Damodardas Modi” ..... It seemed as if the time has stopped. At one time it felt like I was dreaming of becoming a witness of this historic moment. With the oath of Prime Minister, the whole premises were echoed by slogans of ‘Narendra Modi Zindabad’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’.
The announcer continued to urge people to stay calm. But enthusiasm was at the peak. When Rajnath Singh took the oath then the guests present at that time were relatively quiet. But as soon as the name of Amit Shah was announced, once again the whole premises got swept away with the slogan of ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’. One, after another minister kept taking oath.
When Arjun Munda's name was announced, the Jharkhand delegation stood up and applauded. In the end, slogans of ‘Jai Jharkhand’ were also started. The ceremony concluded with the National Anthem. Even after completion of the programme, we stayed there for an hour. The round of meeting was done with the leaders of other states. We continued to share our election experiences with each other. This moment was such that it comes only once in life. I got the chance to be a witness to the opportunity to start the second chapter of India. This moment was captured forever in my mind.
The writer is State spokesman of Jharkhand BJP Unit.