NEW DELHI: The Congress party on Wednesday mounted a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he became India’s longest continuously serving elected Prime Minister, surpassing Jawaharlal Nehru’s record of 4,399 days in office following the 1952 general elections.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticised what he called a “self-proclaimed and dubiously invented milestone”, accusing the Prime Minister of being a “millstone” around India’s progress and alleging that democratic institutions were under strain under his leadership.
In a post on social media platform X, Ramesh contrasted Modi’s tenure with that of Nehru, who became Prime Minister on 15 August 1947 and, according to him, led the early years of nation-building alongside key leaders such as Sardar Patel, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Dr Rajendra Prasad, C. Rajagopalachari and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
He cited developments during Nehru’s early leadership, including the integration of princely states, the drafting and adoption of the Constitution, land reforms such as the abolition of zamindari, the introduction of reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and the establishment of major scientific and industrial institutions. He also highlighted the creation of electoral rolls and the conduct of India’s first general elections between 1951 and 1952, which introduced universal adult franchise.
Ramesh further alleged that democratic institutions, including the Election Commission and the voter registration system, were now under threat, and criticised developments in education and reservation policies.
He also pointed out that while Nehru secured clear majorities in the 1952, 1957 and 1962 general elections, Modi’s 2024 election result did not yield an outright majority for the Bharatiya Janata Party, arguing that it did not constitute a strong mandate.
Prime Minister Modi, who first took office on 26 May 2014 after a decisive electoral victory, began his third consecutive term on 9 June 2024, following re-election in 2019 and 2024.
With his latest milestone, Modi has surpassed Nehru’s record of continuous service as an elected Prime Minister, although Nehru’s overall tenure began earlier in 1947 when he headed an interim government prior to the first general elections.
(With inputs from PTI)