The BJP on Sunday totted up Narendra Modi’s tenures as Gujarat chief minister and Prime Minister to extol him as India’s “longest-serving head of government”, sending party heavyweights tripping over themselves to hail the feat.
Modi’s 8,931 days had surpassed the previous record of 8,930 days — held entirely as Sikkim chief minister — by Pawan Kumar Chamling, the BJP said. The Sikkim Democratic Front founder had headed the hill state’s government for five consecutive terms from 1994 to 2019.
Before Chamling, the record belonged to Jyoti Basu, Bengal chief minister for 8,539 days between June 1977 and November 2000.
Modi, who remained silent on the subject, chaired a meeting with senior ministers to review the petroleum, power and fertiliser situations. Officials said he was focused on safeguarding the interests of consumers and industry amid the threat of energy supply disruptions caused by the West Asia conflict.
The BJP’s official X handle posted in the afternoon: “Saluting India’s longest-serving head of government. 8,931 days of relentless service… a lifetime dedicated to the nation.”
In a later post, the party spelt out the claim more explicitly: “One journey, from Gujarat CM to India’s PM, now the longest-serving head of a government in India, surpassing Pawan Kumar Chamling’s 8,930-day record.”
The party added that the “milestone reflects a lifetime dedicated to governance, not just politics”, and asked people to send their “wishes, messages, selfies, and stickers” via the NaMo App.
Senior Union ministers, chief ministers and other BJP politicians rushed to join the chorus of praise for Modi.
Union home minister Amit Shah wrote two posts on X, lauding Modi’s “tireless service to every citizen” and saying his “rare legacy” had been built on “unparalleled trust”.
“Modi Ji’s decades of seva have shaped an era of his own. Whether it is giving the poor their rights, setting new landmarks in development or enhancing the nation’s pride on global platforms, the Modi era has transformed India unrecognisably,” he posted.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh said: “Pure devotion to the nation and its people defines PM Modi Ji.”
There was, however, no mention of the record on either of Modi’s two X handles — @narendramodi and @PMOIndia — presumably to portray him as a leader focused on governance rather than self-congratulation.
In keeping with that image, photographs were released in the evening showing him at the cabinet committee on security meeting.
At the meeting, Modi directed that a group of ministers and secretaries be set up to work with a whole-of-government (integrated) approach, and sectoral groups be formed to work in consultation with all stakeholders.
The meeting assessed fertiliser requirements for the kharif season and discussed alternative sources to ensure continued availability. It decided that adequate supply of coal stocks would be ensured at all power plants.
Several measures were discussed to diversify the sources of the imports required by chemicals, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals and other industrial sectors.
The Opposition has been targeting Modi consistently over the LPG crisis, accusing him of “bartering” away India’s energy independence to the US.
The BJP claims that under Modi, India has handled the disruptions caused by the Iran war better than many other countries.
“Global LPG prices rose sharply during the war period, and many countries saw cooking gas become more expensive, putting pressure on household budgets,” the BJP posted.
“But India managed the situation in a way that ensured both availability and a controlled impact for common households.”
The BJP has long been trying to project Modi as one of the country’s greatest Prime Ministers — far more consequential than those serially produced by the Nehru-Gandhi family — and a global statesman.
It misses no opportunity to cite international surveys declaring Modi as the “most popular world leader”.
After the 2024 general election, where the BJP failed to secure a majority of its own, the party took care to highlight that Modi had become only the second Prime Minister, after Jawaharlal Nehru, to win three consecutive terms.
On July 25 last year, the party underscored that Modi had completed 4,078 days as Prime Minister, overtaking Indira Gandhi’s uninterrupted first tenure between 1966 and 1977.
As of Sunday, Modi has been Prime Minister for 4,318 days, which means he was Gujarat chief minister for 4,613 days. He is the second longest-serving Prime Minister after Nehru, who was in the post uninterrupted for 6,130 days between August 15, 1947, and May 27, 1964.