Amritsar, May 30: After West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Chandrababu Naidu, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh will also skip the oath-taking ceremony of Narendra Modi, said Raveen Thukral, Media Adviser to Punjab CM. This decision comes just hours before the swearing-in ceremony which is scheduled at 7:00 pm on Thursday. Narendra Modi Cabinet 2.0: Expected List of Ministers and Portfolios.

Earlier, Mamata Banerjee turned down the invitation citing "BJP lies". The West Bengal CM, who initially said she would attend the ceremony, yesterday changed her mind. "In the last one hour, I am seeing media reports that the BJP is claiming 54 people have been murdered in political violence in Bengal," Mamata Banerjee wrote in a post on Twitter on Wednesday. Narendra Modi Swearing-In: Multi-Layer Security Cover in Delhi, Over 10K Security Personnel Deployed for Oath Taking Ceremony.

Tweet by ANI:

She said that the reports are completely false and there have been no political murders in the state. "This is completely untrue. There have been no political murders in Bengal. There is no record with us. Sorry, this has compelled me not to attend the ceremony," Mamata said.

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Singh Bhaghel and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik have also expressed their disability to not attend the event. Mizoram CM Zoramthanga also said that he would not be able to attend the oath-taking ceremony due to "tight official engagements".

Narendra Modi is set to take oath for the second term as Prime Minister after a grand victory of Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. Around 8,000 guests are likely to attend the oath taking ceremony. Leaders of all BIMSTEC countries have confirmed their participation. Members of BIMSTEC include Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 30, 2019 11:54 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).