New Delhi, June 11:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday became India’s longest-serving Prime Minister, marking 12 years at the helm of the Central government. PM Modi crossed former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s record with 4,399 days in office as an elected Prime Minister.
Nehru’s tenure from 1952 onwards is considered for this comparison, as he headed an interim government between 1947 and 1952 before the country’s first general elections were held.
While former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi served for more than 14 years in office, her tenure was not continuous, making Modi the longest continuously serving elected Prime Minister in the country’s history. He has served from his first swearing-in ceremony in 2014 to securing successive mandates in 2019 and a historic third consecutive term in 2024.
The PM Modi-led government’s era has also been marked by a series of high-profile infrastructure and nation-building projects, including the new Parliament building, Central Vista redevelopment, Kartavya Path, Vande Bharat trains, the Statue of Unity, INS Vikrant, the Kashmir rail link, Noida International Airport, Namo Bharat RRTS and the Ganga Expressway.
As he became India’s longest continuously serving elected prime minister, Narendra Modi on Wednesday said people of the country have now understood the importance of political stability and the decisiveness of a stable government.
Modi also said the dream of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ does not belong to a person or party, but has become the resolve of every person in the country.