India's Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were involved in a flurry of meetings in Delhi on Monday, ahead of the Modi-led Cabinet's formation.
Modi wants to give his Prime Minister's Office (PMO) a central role in decision making on crucial issues like infrastructure projects, national security and administrative reforms, claimed sources privy to the developments in the capital.
Modi held parleys with Amit Shah, his close aide from Gujarat, and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley in Gujarat Bhavan. Though Jaitley lost the Lok Sabha election, BJP wants him in the cabinet, the sources added.
Meetings of the BJP cadre were held at the residence of BJP president Rajnath Singh on Ashok Road in Delhi. Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, former leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, Uma Bharti, Gopinath Munde, Varun Gandhi and other newly elected MPs and leaders of BJP were seen meeting Rajnath.
According to reports, the newly elected BJP MPs were seen meeting the top functionaries of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the party's ideological organisation, which is headquartered in Keshavpuram in Delhi. However, senior BJP leaders like M Venkaiah Naidu has denied any role of RSS in the government to be formed at the Centre.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said that BJP's Parliamentary party meeting will be held on 20 May, and Modi will be formally elected as the leader of the party.
Meanwhile, President Pranab Mukherjee dissolved the 15th Lok Sabha with immediate effect on Sunday, paving way for the constitution of the new house for the 16th Lok Sabha.
SIMI's Threat to Modi
BJP's massive victory in the Lok Sabha election, led by Modi, is understood to have made some Islamic terror outfits in the country desperate.
On 16 May, operatives of the banned Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) issued an open threat to Modi in a Bhopal court.
Bhopal police said that 18 jailed operatives of SIMI, including Madhya Pradesh unit head and terror accused Abu Faisal, were taken to the district court in Bhopal for a hearing. There, Faisal along with his SIMI mates, shouted slogans against Modi and threatened the BJP's PM-elect with the slogan: "Now it is Modi's turn".
The jailed SIMI operatives also shouted pro-Taliban slogans at the court premises. Indian Mujahideen (IM) and SIMI are understood to be targeting Modi's life.
