Hindu Nationalist Sworn In as Premier

Atal Behari Vajpayee, the country’s new Hindu nationalist prime minister, took office after assembling a diverse Cabinet. “I have a pledge to redeem, I have a promise to fulfill,” Vajpayee told reporters as he walked to his new office in New Delhi after he and 42 ministers were sworn in. Vajpayee, a 71-year-old moderate member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, kept the Foreign Ministry for himself. BJP President Lal Krishna Advani, who was made interior minister, said he expected the minority government formed after an inconclusive general election to be stable despite the fact that it consists of 13 parties.