New Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the Congress, saying the sluggish economic growth during its rule was cunningly dubbed the "Hindu growth rate" when it should have been named the "Congress growth rate" as it was characterised by a complete absence of governance.
Addressing a conclave of NDA leaders on a day when he crossed the record of Jawaharlal Nehru's 4,398 days in power as an elected prime minister, Modi said a big success of 12 years of NDA rule since 2014 was that it freed the country from the Congress's "vicious trap" and asserted that the people of the country have understood the importance of political stability and decisive governance.
The sluggish growth under the Congress rule was labelled the "Hindu growth rate", implying that while the style, responsibility, and failure were all Congress's but the stigma was pinned on the country's vast Hindu population, Modi said.
At the conclave, a resolution was passed congratulating Modi on becoming the longest continuously serving elected prime minister.
"On this occasion, the members of the NDA family have presented a resolution. I view this not as a personal achievement, but as a testament to your generosity and our collective efforts. From every perspective, this accomplishment belongs to all of us -- it is equally the achievement of every NDA member. Therefore, I dedicate this resolution to all members of the NDA, including the dedicated BJP karykartas," he said.
In the resolution, the ruling alliance hailed Modi's "visionary leadership and tireless dedication to public service" and said his governance model is responsive to citizens, innovative in its approach and transformative in its impact, in the true spirit of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas'.
In his 37-minute speech largely focussed on his government's achievements of the last 12 years and his vision for achieving Viksit Bharat, Modi said the dream of a 'Viksit Bharat' does not belong to a person or any party, but has become the resolve of every person in the country.
"We recognise the challenges faced by the middle class, as well as their aspirations for a better future. To support them, income up to Rs 12 lakh per annum is now tax-free. Today, the country benefits from a simple and faceless tax system. Improved infrastructure has made daily life easier, and over the past 12 years, new opportunities have been created for the children, students and the middle class," he said.
Attacking the Congress, he said the party had plunged the country into an abyss of "helplessness, destitution, and an inferiority complex" during its rule.
He attributed the stronger economic growth during the 12 years of his government to the difference between the Congress growth rate and the NDA growth rate.
"The nation was conditioned to believe that development in India inevitably moves at a slow pace and rapid growth was simply not possible here. With great cunningness, this sluggish growth was labelled the 'Hindu Growth Rate', implying that while the style, responsibility, and failure were all Congress' but the stigma was pinned on the country's vast Hindu population," Modi said.
"This should have been named 'Congress Growth Rate'. This 'Congress Growth Rate' was characterised by a complete absence of governance, policy, intent, and decisiveness," he said.
It was under Atal Bihari Vajpayee's leadership that the NDA government first came to power and only then did the country catch a glimpse of what accelerated development looks like, Modi said.
"Unfortunately, however, in 2004, the country was once again caught in a cycle of instability," he said, referring to the Congress-led UPA rule from 2004-2014.
He said the Congress dragged the country into multi-crore rupee scams.
"The nation's destiny changed again when the NDA government was formed in 2014. The country witnessed the pace of development when intent, policy, and decision-making align and work in unison," Modi said.
Congratulatory messages by world leaders, standing ovation at Union Cabinet meeting and puja-aarti by BJP leaders across the country marked the day when Modi broke Nehru's record.
President Droupadi Murmu wrote a personal letter to him, while former president Ram Nath Kovind and several other leaders including JD-U chief Nitish Kumar and former Union minister in the Indira Gandhi government, Karan Singh, wrote articles in newspapers.
Kovind termed the feat as a journey from "discovery of India to trust in Bharat", in a reference to Jawaharlal Nehru's 'Discovery of India'.
Separately, the Union Cabinet unanimously passed a resolution applauding Modi for achieving the feat and gave him a standing ovation for it.
On Wednesday, Modi crossed the record of Nehru's 4,398 days in power as an elected prime minister following the 1952 general elections. Nehru's stint from 1947 to 1952 was as head of an interim government as elections were not held till 1952.
Leaders from several countries have extended their greetings to Modi.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake sent a congratulatory letter to Modi for his rare distinction.
Those who greeted Modi on social media include Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, and former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and Israeli envoy Reuven Azar congratulated the prime minister and said this achievement is a powerful testament to Modi's decades of dedicated public service and leadership.
Congratulating Modi, key NDA ally and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said some leaders govern a nation, a few reshape its trajectory.
"Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji's 4,399 consecutive days in office have been defined by a singular effort to transform India at every level, from the everyday lives of its citizens to the nation's standing in the world. Today, as he becomes India's longest-serving Prime Minister, we celebrate not merely a record, but a period of change that has touched every corner of the country," Naidu said.
Apart from the article, Nitish Kumar, a key NDA partner, also wrote on 'X' terming the occasion "historic".
"Under your leadership, the country has achieved numerous significant milestones in the fields of development, good governance, and public welfare. India's global stature has also continued to rise," Kumar said.
Most of the Union ministers took to social media to congratulate Modi for the milestone.
Prayers and public activities were organised in Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi, while 'maha aartis' performed across temples in Gujarat, his home state.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju posted a video of offering prayer. "Prayed to Lord Buddha to bless Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi ji with good health and long life," Rijiju, a Buddhist, said on X.
According to a booklet released to mark the occasion, the reduction in income tax burden over the past 12 years reflects the government's vision of 'Ramrajya'.
Reforms like GST, faceless tax, and Digital India have helped build 12 years of trust in the public system, which will support India in becoming a USD 5-trillion economy, the booklet said.
However, the opposition Congress launched a scathing attack on Modi, saying he may have passed a "self-proclaimed and dubiously invented" milestone but he is a "millstone" around India's neck, presiding over the "murder of democracy".
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said Nehru became prime minister of India on August 15, 1947 presiding over a stellar Cabinet - the likes of which have rarely been seen in the world.
New Delhi | The humble jhalmuri found itself in the political spotlight once again at the 12th anniversary conclave of the ruling NDA at the Bharat Mandapam here on Wednesday.
And yet again, this was courtesy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had sent the popular Bengali snack's stock soaring by consuming it at a campaign pitstop during the West Bengal Assembly polls.
Modi shared a video clip on Instagram showing West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari serving him jhalmuri -- essentially a mixture of puffed rice, crunchy vegetables, spices, and a drizzle of mustard oil -- at a makeshift stall set up at the NDA meeting venue.
The images brought back memories of the Bengal polls, when Modi's jhalmuri break had drawn a "drama" barb from Trinamool Congress supremo and the then chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Modi had then hit back with a pun, saying while he enjoyed the snack, the TMC felt the "jhal" (heat).
With the TMC having suffered a resounding defeat at the hands of the BJP in the polls, Modi on Wednesday appeared to gently rub it in once again.
"Sharing Jhalmuri with fellow NDA leaders at the NDA meeting today," Modi captioned the video.
BJP chief Nitin Nabin, Union ministers H D Kumaraswamy and Chirag Paswan, BJP ally and Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha, Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad and Bodoland People's Front chief Hagrama Mohilary stood around the prime minister as he munched on the snack.
As Adhikari handed over a serving of jhalmuri to Modi, the prime minister responded with a thank you. Modi then served portions of it to Nabin and Nishad.
During the meeting, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also stopped by the jhalmuri counter.
In photographs posted by the prime minister on X, Union ministers Anupriya Patel and Ramdas Athawale were among the leaders seen enjoying the snack.
"A jhalmuri break during the NDA meeting at Bharat Mandapam. All our leaders greatly enjoyed this snack!" Modi wrote on X, sharing a set of pictures.
The everyday snack was catapulted to political stardom after Modi made an unscheduled stop at a modest jhalmuri shop in Jhargram during his Bengal poll campaign on April 19. What began as a roadside snack break soon became a political talking point.
New Delhi | BJP leaders, including ministers, MPs and MLAs performed 'havan' and special prayers at temples across the country for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's long life and good health as he completed 12 years in office and also became India's longest continuously serving prime minister.
BJP national president Nitin Nabin offered prayers at Jhandewala temple in the capital and Delhi BJP chief Harsh Malhotra, party MP Bansuri Swaraj and several other BJP leaders joined him.
Union ministers including J P Nadda, Piyush Goyal, Jitendra Singh and Dharmendra Pradhan also performed puja at different temples in Delhi.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited Kishanganj Gaushala in north Delhi and offered prayers at a temple.
On Wednesday, Modi became the longest-serving elected prime minister of India as he crossed the record of Jawaharlal Nehru's 4,399 days in power as an elected prime minister following the 1952 general elections.
In a post on X, Nabin said, "On the historic occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi becoming the longest-serving elected prime minister, I visited the renowned Jhandewalan Devi temple in New Delhi today and performed the ritualistic worship of Goddess Adishakti Maa Bhagwati."
"On this auspicious occasion, I reverently bowed my head at the feet of the Goddess and prayed for the honorable prime minister's long life and good health," he added.
Nadda, who offered prayer at Birla Temple here, said the day has been "etched forever" in golden letters in the parliamentary history of the country with Modi becoming the longest serving prime minister of India.
"Prime Minister Modi ji has dedicated every moment of his life to the service of the nation. I pray to God that he continues to serve the country tirelessly for a long time with the same energy, dedication, and resolve," the former BJP national president said in a post on X in Hindi.
In Punjab, BJP leaders offered prayers at religious places and congratulated Modi.
Newly-appointed Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon paid obeisance at a gurdwara in Chandigarh and said he offered 'shukrana' (gratitude) on the completion of "our beloved, hardworking and visionary Narendra Modi's unprecedented and historic tenure of 12 years as prime minister".
The Gujarat unit of the BJP organised 'maha aartis' across temples in the state.
"On Wednesday morning, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel participated in the maha aarti at Trimandir, Adalaj, Gandhinagar. Gujarat BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma will attend the maha aarti at the ancient Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple at Vadnagar (PM Modi's hometown) in Mehsana district at 7 pm," Gujarat BJP said in a statement.
Special prayers were being held for the long life and good health of Modi, it added.
Special religious programmes were also organised across Rajasthan.
Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma offered prayers at the Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple in Jaipur for the prime minister's well-being, longevity, good health and continued service to the nation.
BJP workers organised special prayers at various temples in Maharashtra. A grand "maha aarti" was held at the 125-year-old Shri Gavdevi Temple in the Naupada area of Thane to pray for Modi's long life, good health, and a bright future, BJP corporator Sanjay Waghule said.
While the BJP leaders and workers in Odisha offered 'pujas' at different temples marking the occasion, BJP state unit president and MP Manmohan Samal offered 'dipa' (diya) at Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar and held a puja for the prime minister's good health.
