Nayab Singh Saini was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Haryana on Thursday, marking his second term, after BJP secured an unprecedented third term in the state.  Nayab Saini’s council of ministers also took oath at the high-profile ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leaders.

Governor of Haryana, Bandaru Dattatreya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Nayab Saini. The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Dussehra Ground in Panchkula, amidst the presence of Union Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, as well as chief ministers from National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled states.

CM Saini walked on stage at the swearing-in ceremony with his predecessor and mentor Manohar Lal Khattar by his side. After Nayab Saini, Senior BJP leader and MLA Anil Vij, who was rumoured to be in the running for Chief Minister, took oath as a minister in the Saini 2.0 Cabinet.

Notably, Haryana can have a maximum of 14 ministers, including the Chief Minister in the cabinet. Beside Anil Vij, Krishan Lal Panwar, Rao Narbir Singh, Mahipal Dhanda, Vipul Goel, Arvind Kumar Sharma, Shruti Choudhry, Shyam Singh Rana, Ranbir Singh Gangwa, Krishan Bedi, Gaurav Gautam, Arti Singh Rao, and Rajesh Nagar also took oath as ministers.

After replacing former CM Manohar Lal Khattar as Chief Minister, Saini steered the BJP to a historic victory in the Haryana Assembly elections. The BJP won 48 seats in the 90-member house, ensuring its third straight term in power in the state.

The Dalit leader, who contested and won the Ladwa seat in Kurukshetra district, was unanimously elected the BJP’s legislature party leader in Haryana on Wednesday. The BJP leader then met Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and staked a claim to form the next government in the state.

Nayab Saini, the BJP’s prominent OBC face in Haryana, previously served as the Lok Sabha MP from Kurukshetra. He made his electoral debut in 2010 but won his first Assembly seat in 2014 from Narayangarh, joining the Khattar Cabinet. Later in October 2023, he was appointed Haryana BJP chief.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Thursday that the world could find a solution not in ‘yuddh’ (war) but in Buddha, and it should learn from his teachings to pave the way for peace. He added Buddha is not only relevant but also necessary.

Buddha resides in India’s soul, the Prime Minister said while speaking at a programme on the occasion of International Abhidhamma Divas, in New Delhi.

Addressing the programme, PM Modi said that the recognition of Pali as a classical language honours the great heritage of Lord Buddha, as he took a swipe at past Congress governments for its neglect of India’s cultural legacy after Independence.

PM Modi said while every nation associates its heritage with its identity, India was left far behind.

He said cultural pillars like language, literature, art, and spirituality shape a nation’s identity. “Each nation proudly associates its heritage with its identity. Regrettably, India has fallen behind in preserving and promoting its rich cultural legacy,” PM Modi added.

Invaders attempted to erase India’s identity before its independence, and those suffering from a “slave mindset” did so afterward, as mentioned by Modi. He added that an ecosystem captured the country, leading it in a direction opposite to its heritage.

The Prime Minister stated that his government’s policies and programs have been guided by the teachings of Lord Buddha. He reiterated that the world, plagued by instability and insecurity, can find solutions to its problems in Buddha’s teachings.

“The country is now moving forward with self-respect, self-confidence, and self-pride, freeing itself from the inferiority complex. It is making bold decisions due to this transformation. That’s why Pali received the status of a classical language, as well as Marathi,” he said.

PM Modi also paid tributes to B.R. Ambedkar, an iconic figure who hailed from the Dalit community and later converted to Buddhism. He noted that his government has been developing places associated with him and Buddhism.

Noting that Buddha’s teachings were originally preserved in Pali, he said it is everyone’s responsibility to preserve the language, which is no longer in common usage.

India slammed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cavalier attitude after he acknowledged that he had only intelligence-based speculation and no hard evidentiary proof regarding the alleged involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Issuing a statement late at night, the Ministry of External Affairs said that what they have heard only confirms what they have been saying consistently all along. Canada has presented India with no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats.

The MEA squarely blamed Justin Trudeau for the ongoing diplomatic row between the two nations, which witnessed diplomats being expelled in tit-for-tat moves, the recent in a year-long dispute that has plunged bilateral relations to a new low.

The statement sternly remarked that the responsibility for the damage that the cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone.

The strongly worded response followed Justin Trudeau’s deposition at a parliamentary inquiry on foreign interference, where he addressed what he characterised as broad efforts by Indian representatives to silence critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Canadian soil.

A couple of days after both sides mutually expelled each other’s diplomats amid a worsening stand off, the Canadian leader sought to hit back by claiming that there were clear indications that India violated his country’s sovereignty.

However, PM Justin Trudeau while testifying before the Commission of Inquiry acknowledged that his government only provided intelligence and no proof to India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.

Justin Trudeau stated that when Canadian agencies asked India to look into the allegations, New Delhi sought proof, and at that point, it was primarily intelligence, not hard evidentiary proof.

The diplomatic standoff between Ottawa and New Delhi has strengthened in recent weeks, with both sides accusing each other of mishandling the situation. India has repeatedly charged Canada with making baseless accusations without providing any evidence.