- Saturday, April 20, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
GREETINGS poured in for Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday (17) as he turned 71. Dignitaries, including president Ram Nath Kovind and vice president Venkaiah Naidu and leaders across parties greeted him on the occasion.
To celebrate the prime minister’s birthday, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asked its workers to facilitate the vaccination drive for Covid-19 pandemic to achieve record-breaking numbers.
ALSO READ: Free artificial limb-fitment camp in Gujarat on eve of Modi’s birthday
JP Nadda, the party’s national president, launched a mega 20-day public outreach on the day named “Seva aur Samarpan” (serve and dedicate) and it will continue till October 7. The event will also mark Modi’s 20 years in public life, including the period when he served as the chief minister of Gujarat starting October 2001. Nadda hailed Modi as the most popular leader of the world, and said he is dedicated to the progress of the most deprived person in society and symbolises foresighted and decisive leadership besides tireless efforts.
President Kovind wished Modi a long and healthy life and hoped that he continued to serve the nation with his spirit of relentless service.
Vice president Naidu said Modi’s exceptional vision, exemplary leadership and dedicated service have led to an all-round growth of the nation. He also said that amid challenges in the last one year, Modi’s efforts to encourage the spirit of self-reliance has borne fruits.
Indian home minister Amit Shah, the second most-powerful man in the BJP, said the prime minister has not only given the country to think ahead and fulfil its resolve with hard work but also made it a reality.
In Modi, India has got a strong and decisive leader who gave a dignified life to those who were deprived of their rights for decades, he said, adding that Modi brought them in the mainstream of development. Shah added that the prime minister has shown the world what people-loving leadership is like.
A number of opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress, Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena and Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also extended wishes to Modi.
The Dalai Lama also wished the prime minister and congratulated him on the growing confidence he had brought among the people, despite the pandemic challenges.
Born in Gujarat’s Vadnagar in 1950, Modi joined Hindutva organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at an early age and was later drafted into the BJP. He won three elections (2002, 2007 and 2012) as the chief minister of Gujarat besides leading the BJP to power at the Centre in 2014 and 2019. He has been serving as the prime minister of India for seven years now, the third longest period after Jawaharlal Nehru (14 years between 1947 and 1964), Indira Gandhi (11 years in her first stint, between 1966 and 1977) and Manmohan Singh (10 years between 2004 and 2014).
He is the second BJP prime minister of India after the late Atal Behari Vajpayee.
On the occasion, the BJP will also be distributing over 14 crore ration kits and holding blood donation camps besides organising other welfare activities during the 20-day campaign.
