– Reason for optimism –
Ordinary Indians and business leaders have sky-high expectations of what Modi will deliver in a chaotic and still poor country that is home to a sixth of humanity. With the economy growing at under five percent, analysts warn bold reforms are needed.
In a rare sign of emotion last week, Modi choked back tears as he promised to try to live up to the expectations of all Indians including “our weakest and poorest” during a speech in parliament.
Modi and his cabinet will be sworn in at the Rashtrapati Bhavan or president’s palace in New Delhi amid tight security in a ceremony with at least 3,000 guests, according to local media. READ: India voters kick off world’s biggest election.
Along with Sharif, other national leaders attending include Afghanistan’s outgoing President Hamid Karzai, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala.
Modi will hold bilateral talks with Sharif on Tuesday with hopes the two can thaw ties and even take steps towards improving trade.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence in 1947 and bilateral ties broke down after the 2008 attacks by Pakistani gunmen on Mumbai in which 166 people were killed.
Relations warmed slightly toward the end of the term of outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but still remain frosty, with mutual distrust and regular skirmishes along their disputed Kashmir border.
Sharif has cited his working relationship with Vajpayee as a reason for optimism, according to diplomatic sources.
In 1999, during Sharif’s second term in power, Vajpayee rode a bus to the Pakistani city of Lahore to sign a peace accord and raise hopes of normalised ties. But three months later, the neighbours embarked on the Kargil conflict in Kashmir that almost became a full-fledged war.
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