Gurugram: Union Home Minister Amit Shah Wednesday said Narendra Modi’s 25 years in office would be “written in golden letters” in India’s history.
Shah was the chief guest at BJP’s ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabha—Seva Jyoti Yatra’ at Leisure Valley in Gurugram, with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini presiding. The party was marking 25 years of Modi in public office. He took oath as Gujarat chief minister on 7 October 2001 and became Prime Minister in May 2014.
Shah said 7 October was an important day in the history of Indian democracy. A man born in a poor family had, on the strength of his own qualities, taken crores of people along and held the post of chief minister and then Prime Minister for 25 straight years, he said.
He called the 25 years a journey of freedom, towards a secure India, the end of Article 370 and of Naxalism, the Ram temple and the Kashi Vishwanath corridor, new infrastructure and 25 crore people lifted above the poverty line. Shah lit a torch at the venue for youth to carry as a yatra torch to a crossing 800 metres away and install there.
Observed across the country
The BJP observed the day in every state, as part of its month-long ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’. The campaign began on 17 September, Modi’s birthday, and will run till 17 October.
The main programme was held in Delhi, at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, where Modi addressed the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabha’. BJP national president Nitin Nabin spoke before him.
Modi led the gathering in a pledge to build a developed India by 2047, with a new slogan, “We will do it”. Modi said the goal would be reached through visionary policies and hard work. He said one of the country’s biggest challenges was the division of society along the lines of votes. He recalled that 25 crore people had risen out of poverty in a decade. He also thanked people for their trust and said he had never imagined, when he took oath in 2001, that he would reach this milestone.
BJP leaders and workers in other states watched and listened to the address at local venues, and lit torches after it.
In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav joined the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabha’ at Aastha Garden in Ujjain virtually and listened to Modi along with party functionaries. He then lit a torch to launch the ‘Seva Jyoti Kalash Yatra’ and walked in the procession.
In Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attended the Delhi programme online from Mumbai. State BJP president Ravindra Chavan, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar and minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha were present with him. In his post on X, Fadnavis described the day as 25 years of public service turning into service to the nation.
In Uttar Pradesh, the party had planned a ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ in every district. Union Minister J. P. Nadda participated in the programme at Greater Noida, where workers received Modi’s guidance virtually.
The nationwide ‘Seva Sankalp Yatra’, which began on 17 September, concluded on Wednesday at Varanasi and Vadnagar, Modi’s hometown. In Varanasi, the yatris offered jalabhishek at Kashi Vishwanath Dham.
In Vadnagar, the yatra concluded at the Hatkeshwar Mahadev temple, with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi among those who spoke.
What Union ministers said
Union ministers marked the day with their own tributes, mostly on X.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the journey that began on 7 October 2001 had come to symbolise nation-building, good governance and public welfare. The guiding principle throughout, he wrote, had been “Nation First, Always First”.
He said welfare schemes had expanded on an unprecedented scale and given crores of people homes, tap water, toilets, LPG connections and bank accounts. India had become the world’s fourth-largest economy, he said, and was responding to external threats with firmness. The 25 years, he wrote, were a milestone and “not a full stop”.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar congratulated Modi on 25 tireless years in public service. He said Modi had put the dignity and aspirations of the poor, and the empowerment of women and youth, at the heart of governance. He credited Modi’s decisive and transparent leadership with inclusive development, and said the Prime Minister continued to lead India towards Viksit Bharat 2047 and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman noted that Modi had held no elected post before he became Gujarat chief minister 25 years ago. She wrote that he learnt on the job and served with “no corruption, no cronies”. Only in the BJP, she said, does a karyakarta with no political family, dynasty or money behind him get such opportunities, and she called it a strong message for democracy.
Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari thanked Modi for 25 years of what he called fearless and focused leadership. He said there were many moments when the easy way was available but Modi always chose the right way, even when it was difficult.
Nadda said Modi had worked without a break for 25 years with remarkable dedication. He said Modi had made service his devotion and public welfare his resolve, and had given crores of people new hope. Under his leadership, India was moving towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy, a self-reliant and developed nation, host of the Olympics and a force in space, he said. Nadda added the energy and confidence of the people, especially the youth, was proclaiming “We will do it”.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan planted a sapling with party workers at the Smart City Park in Bhopal under the campaign. He wished that Modi would continue to lead the country and take it to new heights.
Columns in newspapers
Newspapers published from Chandigarh carried articles by Saini and former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, now a Union minister, on Modi’s 25 years. Saini wrote that Modi’s reforms had propelled Haryana’s growth. Khattar wrote that development had accelerated manifold under Modi.
What the campaign includes
The ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’ includes drawing and speech contests in schools, ‘Namo Seva Gatha’ street plays and yatras at village, district and state levels, with a pledge for ‘Viksit Bharat @2047’.
At its launch in Vadnagar, Modi’s hometown, on 17 September, Shah had said no political leader since Independence had completed 25 continuous years as head of a state and then of the country.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: ‘We will do it’—Modi drops new mantra for Viksit Bharat 2047 as he completes 25 yrs in public office