Gandhinagar, March 26 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the longest-serving head of an elected government in the country, completing 8,931 days in office across his tenures as Gujarat Chief Minister and Prime Minister, state BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma said on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s state headquarters in Gandhinagar, Vishwakarma said the milestone surpasses the 8,930-day record of former Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling.

He added that PM Modi had also exceeded the tenure of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who served 4,077 days in office, and remains Gujarat’s longest-serving chief minister.

Describing the achievement as “not merely a record of time, but a record of the unwavering trust of the people”, Vishwakarma said PM Modi’s public life over the past 24 years had been marked by service and commitment.

“He has never seen himself merely as a chief minister or prime minister, but has dedicated his life as a servant of the nation,” he said.

Vishwakarma recalled that when Modi assumed office in Gujarat in 2001, the state faced multiple challenges, including the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Kutch.

“The region’s recovery and development under Modi’s leadership had been significant, despite initial doubts about its revival,” he said.

He also referred to policy initiatives during his tenure as chief minister, including the Jyotigram scheme to provide round-the-clock electricity in rural areas and the Vibrant Gujarat summit aimed at attracting investment.

According to him, programmes in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture and education contributed to what he described as a “model of development”.

On his tenure as Prime Minister since 2014, Vishwakarma cited schemes including ‘Make in India’, ‘Startup India’ and ‘Stand Up India’ as measures that encouraged investment and employment.

“Welfare programmes such as ‘Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana’, ‘Ujjwala Yojana’, ‘Ayushman Bharat’ and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi’ directly benefited poorer sections and farmers,” he said.

He also pointed to the use of the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-mobile framework to streamline welfare delivery through Direct Benefit Transfers, and said infrastructure expansion in highways, airports and Metro networks had accelerated in recent years.

In healthcare, he said 15 additional All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) facilities had been established compared to earlier decades.

Referring to national security, Vishwakarma said India had adopted a firmer approach in response to attacks, citing the surgical strikes and the Balakot airstrike following incidents in Uri and Pulwama.

He also mentioned developments in cultural and religious infrastructure, including projects in Varanasi and Ujjain and the construction of the Ram temple, and said these reflected a policy of advancing “development and heritage” together.

“Modi had received honours from more than 29 countries and addressed 19 foreign parliaments, which reflected India’s growing global standing. During the Covid-19 pandemic, India carried out a large-scale vaccination drive and supplied vaccines to several countries,” he noted.

He criticised Opposition leaders for personal attacks on PM Modi, saying such remarks had been “answered by the people with trust, votes and support”.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not merely an individual, but an idea and an institution,” Vishwakarma said.

–IANS

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