Celebrities who missed Modi swearing-in

Rajinikanth- The superstar of the nation and a demi god in South, Rajinikanth is a legend to reckon with, So it comes as no surprise when he met India's future PM Narendra Modi at his residence in Chennai, While according to media reports, this meeting had no political inclination, the thaliava's support was Mr. Modi was apparent. When NaMo was declared as the future PM, Rajinikanth took to Twitter to congratulate him, " Hearty Congratulations dear @narendramodi Ji on your historic win. Best wishes." So it was only natural that the thalaiyva was to be invited for his swearing in ceremony that took place at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 26th May 2014. Rajinikanth was one of the prominent names to be invited along with the who's who of the country, including politicians, heads of SAARC Nations, actors, singers and sportspersons. But due to reasons unknown, the veteran could not be a part of the ceremony. It is alleged that the actor kept away, keeping in mind that Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa was unhappy with the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa making his presence at the ceremony. But whatever the actual reasons, he must have sorely been missed and Rajnikanth's presence would have made the impossible possible!

Amitabh Bachchan- The Shahenshah of Bollywood was also invited for NaMo's swearing in ceremony that was held yesterday (26th May 2014). While the actor has been promoting Gujarat tourism, it was only natural that the former CM of Gujarat would invite him to be a part of his swearing in ceremony as the future PM of India. Modi in an interview to India TV had openly praised Big B on Aap Ki Adalat for allegedly not charging a single penny to promote tourism in Gujarat, And it seems the admiration is mutual between the two stalwarts, But unfortunately, Big B could not join his Bollywood counterparts due to some shooting schedules. This was certainly a life time opportunity that Big B missed! His presence would have added that extra special touch to an already glamorous ceremony.

Lata Mangeshkar- The Nightingale of India, legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar also decided to give the ceremony a skip. Lata didi is known to be a Modi fan and vice versa. When the 2014 Lok Sabha Election results were announced, she took to Twitter to congratulate NaMo. She posted, "@narendramodi Namaskar. Naredrabhai ,aap ko bohot bohot badhaai. Desh ki janata ne ab apna bhavishya aap ke haath me diya hai. Tathastu." In fact, the Prime Minister of India is also said to be a fan of Lata Mangeshkar and they shared a common platform on the 51st anniversary of the song, 'Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon'. It is said that due to health reasons, she could not make it to Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday. But she did send her best wishes. He even thanked her back by posting on his official Twitter account, "Thank you Lata Didi. As always, your greetings and best wishes inspire me deeply."

Preity Zinta- The actress may have failed to make a comeback in Bollywood but she certainly made headlines when she declared that she is a Narendra Modi fan. The former Chief Minister of Gujarat seemed to have bowled the dimpled actress with his potential and capability as the future Prime Minister of India. The actress even went to the holy city of Varanasi to offer prayers for his win in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and seems like the gods listened to her. In an interview to Zee News, Zinta stated, "I am his (Modi) fan, hope he wins, he doesn’t need campaigning, have just come to pray to God.” (sic) Infact, when he finally won the elections, the actress tweeted, " I'm Confident that India will prosper, be safe & develop like never before. History will mark this day in GOLD #Indiandreamshines :-) Ting! Heart is beating crazy as I watch election results on TV. Every Indian has spoken & I'm Happy2 see that this will be a stable and solid Govt."But sadly, Preity, who even met NaMo personally, was not a part of this prestigious event. As per media reports, the actress had even said that she wanted him to become PM 6-7 years back, Whether this was a publicity gimmick or Preity's subtle hint of joining politics, the actress for whatever reasons, was not present at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi to witness the grand event.

Raveen Tandon- When Bollywood writer Anjum Rajabali filed an appeal, asking the people of the nation to vote strategically to protect the country's secular character, many B-town celebs signed it to protest. Actress Raveena Tandon was the first to oppose this act. Raveena criticised the open letter written by some members of Bollywood. When a fan posted on Tandon's Twitter handle, "@TandonRaveena Ex-Pres Dr A P J Kalam "India can b saved if #Modi is Elected as PM," she re-tweeted the comment. Not only that, she also wrote, "My respected seniors colleagues film industry. Why did you not speak up when kashmiri pandits were being massacred driven out of kashmir? innocent Sikhs were burnt alive in delhi, NE oppressed, Y ur heart beats only for gujarat? if truly Secular. You should've spoken much earlier." She further tweeted, " And bring on the fireworks and sweets ! The results are speaking!" But unlike Salman, Raveena did not attend NaMo's swearing in ceremony that had all important people of the country under one roof. It would have been interesting to have more Bollywood personalities add the glamour factor to the event.

Shilpa Shetty-The yummy mummy of Bollywood is a huge Narendra Modi fan and the actress has said it openly. In an interview to The Times of India, Shilpa was quoted saying, "I am a huge fan of Narendra Modi, very happy about his win. I think he will be a fantastic PM." While Shilpa is a celebrity in her own rights and a businesswoman, but the actress did not attend Modi's swearing inc ceremony. From the heads of SAARC countries to prominent politicians and sportspersons, all the big names were part of this important event and it would have been nice if Shilpa, who is an ardent admirer of India's next PM, would have been a part of the regal celebrations. When Modi won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he created a craze in the nation and soon found a huge following even in Bollywood and Shilpa Shetty was one of those names.