PM Modi's 25 Years In Public Life A 'Golden Era' For Poor: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25 years in public life should be seen as a period of welfare for the poor and foundation-laying for India's prosperity.

He was speaking after inaugurating the 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' in Vadnagar and flagging off a bike rally to Varanasi to mark PM Modi's birthday. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde were also present.

Born on September 17, 1950, in Vadnagar in Gujarat's Mehsana district, PM Modi turned 76 on Thursday. He completes 25 uninterrupted years in public office on October 7, having first taken the oath as Gujarat chief minister in 2001 before becoming prime minister in 2014.

Addressing a gathering, Shah said the 25 years of PM Modi's public life "will have to be written in golden letters in history as the years of poor welfare".

He said the period under PM Modi's leadership had laid the foundation for India's prosperity, made the country more secure and started the process of making India a global leader in infrastructure and digital public infrastructure.

Shah said PM Modi's tenure as PM would be remembered as a period of welfare for poor people and claimed that 25 crore people had been lifted out of poverty during this period. He said generations of people had waited for basic necessities such as houses, toilets, tap water, electricity, food and medical treatment.

"His 12-year tenure as prime minister will be known as a golden era for the 80 crore poor people of the country," Shah said, listing houses, electricity, tap water, five kg of free grain per person per month, health coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh, toilets and gas cylinders among the benefits delivered by the Modi government.

Shah said PM Modi had personally experienced poverty after being born in a poor village and had, despite his circumstances, put before the country a vision of equitable and inclusive development.

He said PM Modi's 25-year public life was also marked by sustained personal work and service to the poor, backward classes, Dalits and tribals.

Shah said he had worked with PM Modi during his organisational years in Gujarat and later when he became the CM and PM.

The Union minister also praised PM Modi's simplicity and said he had connected BJP workers across the country with the "Nation First" slogan. He said PM Modi had treated the entire country as his family.

Referring to PM Modi's years as Gujarat CM, Shah listed initiatives including water management, the Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana, Sagarkhedu Kalyan Yojana, industrial development, Vibrant Gujarat, an education hub and 24-hour electricity supply to villages.

He said the state recorded an agricultural growth of more than eight per cent when PM Modi was the CM. The Gujarat model was subsequently taken to the national level after PM Modi took charge of the nation in 2014, he said.

Shah credited the Modi government with introducing what he described as clear policies after a period of policy paralysis and cited GST, the JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile) trinity, Direct Benefit Transfer, banking reforms, FDI and PLI (Production Linked Incentive) as measures that had contributed to economic development.

He also referred to expansion of roads, railways, airports, ports and digital infrastructure, saying the number of airports in the country had increased from 75 to 150. He mentioned PM Gati Shakti, Digital India and Startup India as initiatives that had opened opportunities for the youth.

On national security, Shah cited the government's decisions on Article 370, the Citizenship Amendment Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, peace accords in the Northeast and military operations. He also referred to measures relating to women, tribal welfare, defence production and space programmes, including Chandrayaan and Aditya L1.

Shah said PM Modi's public life could be summed up in two words -- "India First".

Earlier, CM Patel said the bike rally from Vadnagar to Varanasi was not merely a journey but a "pledge-driven mission dedicated to serving the nation". He said Vadnagar's soil had inspired PM Modi with patriotism, simplicity and a spirit of service and that his 25 years of public life had contributed to the country's transformation.

Patel said India had emerged as a major opportunity for youth and highlighted developments in digital payments, space technology, artificial intelligence and semiconductors.

He said the 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' should take PM Modi's message of public service to every household and called for building a "Viksit Gujarat" as part of the vision of a "Viksit Bharat".

A simultaneous rally was flagged off from Varanasi, PM's Lok Sabha constituency, with the two journeys planned to conclude on October 7, the day PM Modi completes 25 years as CM of Gujarat and India's PM.

According to the BJP, the two rallies will together cover about 40,000 km through 193 districts and around 1,159 villages across 10 states. Around 1,000 youths will participate, it said.

At Vadnagar, Shah, Patel and other leaders first performed 'Maha-aarti' at Sharmishtha Lake and then walked to the ancient Hatkeshwar temple of Lord Shiva. Shah prayed for PM Modi's long life and good health before flagging off the rally, said officials.

Shah said the BJP and its allies had launched the campaign to take the message of PM Modi's 25 years of public service to people across the country and inspire younger generations to work towards the goal of a developed India by 2047.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)