People have understood the importance of political stability & decisiveness of stable govt: PM
NEW DELHI, June 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday became India’s longest-serving Prime Minister, marking 12 years at the helm of the Central government. PM Modi crossed former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s record with 4,399 days in office as an elected Prime Minister.
Nehru’s tenure from 1952 onwards is considered for this comparison, as he headed an interim government between 1947 and 1952 before the country’s first general elections were held.
While former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi served for more than 14 years in office, her tenure was not continuous, making Modi the longest continuously serving elected Prime Minister in the country’s history. He has served from his first swearing-in ceremony in 2014 to securing successive mandates in 2019 and a historic third consecutive term in 2024.
The PM Modi-led government’s era has also been marked by a series of high-profile infrastructure and nation-building projects, including the new Parliament building, Central Vista redevelopment, Kartavya Path, Vande Bharat trains, the Statue of Unity, INS Vikrant, the Kashmir rail link, Noida International Airport, Namo Bharat RRTS and the Ganga Expressway.
As he became India’s longest continuously serving elected prime minister, Narendra Modi on Wednesday said people of the country have now understood the importance of political stability and the decisiveness of a stable government.
Modi also said the dream of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ does not belong to a person or party, but has become the resolve of every person in the country.
“For me, people represent God,” he said at an NDA conclave here.
“People of the country have understood the importance of political stability at the national level. It is their maturity that they gave me an opportunity to serve them for such a long time,” Modi said.
“Many decades before 2014 were full of instability and upheavals but people are now witnessing the work of a stable government and are admiring its decisiveness,” he added.
Modi also said a big success of 12 years of NDA rule was that it freed the country from the Congress’ “vicious trap”.
“When the NDA won in 2014, I had said today there is a dawn of a new hope for the common person. After Congress’ betrayal, people showed confidence in us. As an NDA family, we have strengthened the confidence that people have on us,” Modi said.
On Wednesday, Modi crossed the record of Jawaharlal Nehru’s 4,398 days in power as an elected prime minister following the 1952 general elections.
Prez Murmu writes to PM
President Droupadi Murmu congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on marking the milestone of serving as India’s longest continuously elected PM and said that the country has witnessed significant transformations across all facets of national life during his tenure.
In a letter to the prime minister, Murmu said she was deeply touched by his compassion for the marginalised sections of society and his commitment to the ideal of ‘Antyodaya’ – upliftment of the person at the very end of the line.
It reflected not merely a policy intervention, but a profound sensitivity towards some of the most vulnerable citizens of Bharat, the President said.
“Your own journey from humble beginnings to becoming India’s longest-serving elected Prime Minister, continuously serving the people, also reaffirms one of the most inspiring features of Indian democracy. It demonstrates that in our Republic, public life remains open to all those who dedicate themselves to service, commitment and hard work for the betterment of the nation,” she said in the letter.
“As the people of the country mark the milestone of you serving as India’s longest continuously elected Prime Minister, completing 4,399 days dedicated in the service of the people, I extend my warm congratulations to you,” the President said.
This milestone is therefore not merely a matter of the longest duration in this public office; it is an affirmation of the confidence that the people of India have reposed in your leadership across successive elections, Murmu said.
“In a nation as vast, diverse and vibrant as ours, public trust is among the highest honours that can be bestowed upon a citizen. That this trust in you has been renewed time and again over the years testifies to a glorious chapter in the democratic journey of our Republic,” she said.
During this period, India has witnessed significant transformations across all facets of national life, the president said.
“Efforts towards financial inclusion have brought crores into the formal economic system. The huge number of women beneficiaries in this endeavour is even more heartening. Today, India’s Nari Shakti is not only emerging as an equal participant in India’s development journey, but she is leading it; a true reflection of women-led development,” Murmu said. (Agencies)
