Amit Shah on Thursday praised PM Narendra Modi’s 25 years in public life, calling it a period of service to the poor and national development. Speaking in Vadnagar on Modi’s 76th birthday, Shah flagged off a bike rally to Varanasi under the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan. The campaign will mark Modi’s public-service journey through nationwide outreach.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday marked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday by visiting Vadnagar, his birthplace in Gujarat, and praising his 25-year journey in public life. Shah addressed a gathering after inaugurating the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan and flagging off a bike rally from Vadnagar towards Varanasi. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde were among the leaders present at the event.
PM Modi was born in Vadnagar in Gujarat’s Mehsana district on September 17, 1950. He first entered public office as Gujarat chief minister in 2001 and became prime minister in 2014. He is set to complete 25 years in public office on October 7, the date he first took oath as Gujarat chief minister in 2001. Shah used the occasion to highlight what he described as Modi’s long period of public service and his work as both a state and national leader.
Shah calls PM Modi's 25 years a period of public service
Addressing the gathering, Shah said Modi’s 25 years in public life should be remembered as a period focused on the welfare of poor people and the foundation for India’s future development.
Shah also said that, in his view, no other politician in independent India had continuously served as both a state leader and a national leader for 25 years.
He claimed that Modi had worked for 16 to 18 hours every day without taking a day off during this period.
These remarks formed a central part of Shah’s speech as the BJP and its allies began the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan to mark Modi’s 25 years in public service. The BJP has announced the campaign as a month-long programme beginning September 17.
Shah also recalled his own association with Modi, saying he had worked with him during his organisational years in Gujarat and later when Modi became chief minister and prime minister.
He described “India First” as the guiding principle of Modi’s public life and urged young people to take inspiration from his journey while working towards the goal of a developed India by 2047.
Vadnagar to Varanasi bike rally
The main event in Vadnagar was the flag-off of a bike rally travelling towards Varanasi, Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency.
A second rally was launched from Varanasi towards Vadnagar. The two journeys are scheduled to run from September 17 and conclude on October 7, when Modi completes 25 years since becoming Gujarat chief minister.
Shah said 600 bikers were taking part in the two journeys, with 300 starting from Vadnagar and another 300 from Varanasi.
According to the BJP, the twin rallies will together cover around 40,000 km, passing through 193 districts and about 1,159 villages across 10 states. Around 1,000 young people are expected to participate in the wider programme.
The campaign is intended to take the message of Modi’s 25 years in public service to people at the grassroots level. The BJP has also planned service activities, public outreach programmes and other events as part of the month-long campaign.
At the Vadnagar event, Shah, Patel and other leaders first took part in a Maha-aarti at Sharmishtha Lake before walking to the historic Hatkeshwar temple. Shah offered prayers for Modi’s long life and good health before flagging off the rally.
Shah highlights welfare schemes under Modi government
A large part of Shah’s speech focused on welfare schemes and programmes launched during Modi’s tenure.
Shah claimed that 25 crore people had been lifted out of poverty during this period. He also highlighted schemes and benefits linked to housing, electricity, tap-water connections, toilets, cooking gas, food grains and healthcare.
He said generations of Indians had waited for access to basic facilities and claimed that the Modi government had expanded their access through various welfare programmes.
Among the measures mentioned by Shah were five kilograms of free food grains per person per month and health coverage of up to ₹5 lakh. He also referred to housing, electricity connections, tap water, toilets and gas cylinders.
The 25-crore poverty reduction figure is a government claim that has also been used by Shah in previous public addresses. In 2025, the Press Information Bureau quoted Shah as saying that 25 crore people had moved above the poverty line during Modi’s tenure.
Shah presented these measures as part of what he described as the central focus of Modi’s years in office, welfare of the poor and improved access to basic services.
Gujarat years and the ‘Gujarat model’
Shah also went back to Modi’s years as Gujarat chief minister. He referred to initiatives involving water management, tribal welfare, industrial development, education and electricity supply. He also mentioned programmes such as the Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana and Sagarkhedu Kalyan Yojana.
Shah said Gujarat’s development experience under Modi was later taken to the national level after Modi became prime minister in 2014.
He cited GST, the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile or JAM framework, Direct Benefit Transfer, banking reforms, foreign direct investment and Production Linked Incentive schemes while speaking about economic policy.
Infrastructure was another major theme. Shah referred to the expansion of roads, railways, airports and ports, along with digital infrastructure. He also mentioned initiatives including PM Gati Shakti, Digital India and Startup India.
Shah said these programmes had created new opportunities for young people and contributed to the government's broader development agenda.
National security and major government decisions
The Home Minister also listed national security and legal changes among the major developments during Modi’s years as prime minister.
He referred to the abrogation of Article 370, the Citizenship Amendment Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and peace agreements in the Northeast.
He also mentioned military operations, defence production and space programmes, including Chandrayaan and Aditya-L1.
While presenting these as achievements of the Modi government, Shah said Modi’s public life could ultimately be summed up in two words: “India First.”
He also referred to Modi’s description of himself as a 'Pradhan Sevak', saying it reflected the idea of public service.
Bhupendra Patel praises Modi’s public-service journey
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also addressed the event and described the Vadnagar-Varanasi bike rally as more than a journey between two cities.
Patel called it a pledge-driven mission linked to national service. He said Vadnagar had shaped Modi’s values of patriotism, simplicity and service.
He also pointed to developments in digital payments, space technology, artificial intelligence and semiconductors while speaking about India’s changing economic and technological landscape.
Patel said the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan should carry the message of public service to households across the country. He linked the campaign with the broader goal of building a Viksit Gujarat as part of the vision of Viksit Bharat.
Nationwide Seva Sankalp Abhiyan begins
The Vadnagar event is part of a wider programme planned by the BJP and its allies from September 17 to October 17.
The campaign includes public outreach and service-oriented activities across different states. The Vadnagar and Varanasi bike journeys are among its most visible programmes and are planned to conclude on October 7.
Varanasi, where Modi represents the Lok Sabha constituency, is hosting a separate birthday programme involving senior leaders, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The twin rallies therefore connect two places closely associated with Modi’s political journey: Vadnagar, where he was born, and Varanasi, which has been his parliamentary constituency.
Diya Kumari urges people to light lamps
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari urged people to light a lamp at home between 6 pm and 7 pm on September 17 to mark Modi’s birthday and his 25 years in public service.
Her appeal was part of the birthday-related activities being organised in different parts of the country.
Modi, meanwhile, thanked people for their birthday wishes. In a post shared on X on Thursday, he said the “Ashirwad Ka Diya” gesture had touched him and that every blessing strengthened his resolve to continue serving the people of India.
The Vadnagar event thus combined birthday celebrations with the launch of a wider public campaign centred on Modi’s 25 years in public office, with the BJP and its allies using the occasion to highlight welfare, development, infrastructure and public-service initiatives associated with his tenure.
