NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi on Wednesday became India’s longest-serving democratically elected prime minister, completing 4,399 days in office and surpassing the record held by India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Marking the milestone, PM Modi said a resolution passed by NDA leaders in his honour was “not a personal achievement” but a reflection of the alliance’s collective efforts.
Emphasising the government’s economic record, he said India had registered a growth rate of 7.7% in 2025-26 and 7.8% in the quarter ending March 31 despite a global slowdown.
Leaders of the NDA, meeting in New Delhi, passed a resolution reaffirming their faith in Modi’s leadership. The resolution, moved by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and seconded by Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio, received support from several leaders, including Jitan Ram Manjhi, H D Kumaraswamy, Eknath Shinde, Chirag Paswan, Jayant Chaudhary, Vishnu Deo Sai, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Anupriya Patel.
On the resolution, Modi said, “I don’t view it 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. Therefore, I dedicate this resolution to all NDA members, including dedicated BJP karyakartas.”
NDA leaders described his leadership as embodying delivery, accountability and integrity. The resolution stated that the defining feature of the past 12 years had been the seamless integration of people-centric development, participatory democracy and performance-oriented governance.
Addressing the meeting, Modi said, “The nation is greater than any political party, and when we work with the spirit of ‘Nation First’ no decision is too difficult.” He said the government had taken bold and thoughtful decisions on issues once considered impossible but necessary for the country.
The NDA highlighted what it described as Modi’s governance model, characterising it as responsive to citizens, innovative in approach and transformative in impact, reflecting the spirit of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’. Reading out the resolution, Naidu said history’s most enduring leaders are those who confront the challenges of their era and convert them into opportunities for national resurgence.
The alliance said India had emerged as a preferred global destination for investment, innovation and long-term growth. It cited reforms such as the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax and the repeal of obsolete laws to reduce compliance burdens and improve ease of living and ease of doing business. “As a result, India began to dream again and dream big. The spirit of enterprise found renewed energy,” the resolution stated.
Modi said while the global economy continued to face difficulties, India had maintained strong growth. He pointed to measures aimed at supporting the middle class, noting that annual income up to `12 lakh had been made tax-free and that the country now benefited from a simple and faceless tax system. He said the government had also expanded opportunities for children from middle-class families.
Taking a swipe at previous governments, Modi said the NDA had ushered in a new era of hope after assuming office in 2014. He criticised the Congress for creating what he described as a “cycle of despair and an inferiority complex”. The PM cited the abrogation of Article 370, peace initiatives in Northeast and India’s response to terrorism via surgical strikes, and Operation Sindoor.
