Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took the oath as prime minister of India for a rare third consecutive term on June 9, 2024, despite widescale predictions that his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would lose. The leaders of the opposition had openly criticized Modi for bringing in his Hindu centred religion into this election campaign.
Prior to his victory at the polls, Modi went underwater at the Panchkui beach in Gujarat to offer prayers at the site where the ancient city of Dwarka was believed to have submerged post Lord Krishna’s demise. According to the Hindustan Times, the site is steeped in historical and spiritual significance.
“To pray in the city of Dwarka, which is immersed in the waters, was a very divine experience. I felt connected to an ancient era of spiritual grandeur and timeless devotion. May Bhagwan Shri Krishna bless us all,” Modi wrote on X along with photos of being underwater.
“I went deep in the sea and did ‘Darshan’ of the ancient Dwarka city. Archaeologists have written a lot about Dwarka city hidden underwater. In our scriptures also, it is said about Dwarka that it was a city with beautiful gates and tall buildings, as tall as the top of the world. Lord Krishna himself constructed this city… When I went deep in the sea, I experienced the divinity… I bowed down in front of Dwarkadhish. I took a peacock feather with me and placed it at Lord Krishna’s feet. I had always been curious to go there and touch the remains of the ancient Dwarka city. I am full of emotions today… A decades-old dream was completed today…,” Modi later said during a public meeting in Dwarka.
Andrew Holness is looking to secure a third term, but is yet to call the general election which is constitutional due next year. Although the Prime Minister has often boasted about his administrations sound development policies, resilience during global crisis like COVID-19 and wise fiscal management, his government has been marred by several scandals and accusations of corruption.
In India, Holness expressed Jamaica’s desire to strengthen co-operation with India in various sectors, including science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), education, digitisation, security and energy. A number of Memorandum of Understandings were signed during the visit to cement the bi-lateral agreements.