M Chuba Ao
India made history in 2014 when Narendra Modi was elected as the Prime Minister. The mandate to our party, BJP, was massive. It is like stating an obvious but it is true that India's stature has gone up under Prime Minister Modi's leadership.
Born in 1950, Modi will celebrate his next birthday on September 17th and the entire nation and our party will take up a number of social welfare works starting that day.
Our party will be launching a month-long "Seva Sankalp Abhiyan" from September 17 to October 17, 2026, to mark Prime Minister’s birthday and his completion of 25 years in public service.
At the global level, India today under our Prime Minister provides a stronger voice to the issues of interest of the developing world and of the Global South. This is very much a part of our (BJP's) DNA. It was evident during the Vaccine Maitri around 2021-22.
In all these; India's middleclass and neo-middleclass have been mega ‘game-changers’ by themselves.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has stated about a structural shift in India’s middle-class consumption. As many as 93% of urban consumer growth is expected outside the top five cities (New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai). Nearly 500 “consumer cities” are likely to emerge in the country. This would mean --- translating to rising incomes and expanding the middle class. All these cannot happen without a development and consumer-friendly economic approach. The WEF also opines that by 2036, India's middle class and affluent consumers will account for 93% of all spending. This would be a rise from 80% in 2026.
People should not miss the big picture.
These will create opportunities for businesses to develop products and services that appeal to a wide range of age groups. In other words; we may soon have boom time.
Over the past 12 years, the Modi Government has empowered India’s middle class through wide-ranging reforms. -- Simplified taxation, and stronger banking, insurance, and pension systems.
In the same spirit; expanding urban growth, better connectivity, and improved infrastructure have created new opportunities. Improved access to basic amenities, accessible healthcare, stronger education and skill development, and seamless digital governance have already improved everyday convenience.
The growing importance of insurance is visible in household finances. The share of insurance and pension funds rose from 28.6% in FY 2018–19 to 29.6% in FY 2024–25. This indicates increasing financial awareness and a shift towards long-term security among families.
PM Modi also kept the north east region at the Heart of India’s Growth story. Over the past twelve years, the North-East has witnessed a remarkable shift in its development landscape.This transition has been driven by sustained policy support, infrastructure expansion, and inclusive development initiatives.
Improved road, rail, air, and digital connectivity have reduced age-old geographic isolation. They have also strengthened regional integration and economic access. The region has also emerged as a key pillar of India’s clean energy transition and Act East vision. This shift has been supported by investments in hydropower, gas infrastructure, and cross-border connectivity.
Together, these efforts position Ashtalakshmi as a model of sustainable and inclusive development within Viksit Bharat. Over the past twelve years, India’s sustained public interventions have expanded access to essential services, reducing deprivation across underprivileged households.
Nearly 25 crore people escaped multidimensional poverty through expanded welfare delivery and social protection measures. Rural tap water coverage increased from 3.23 crore households in 2019 to 15.84 crore by May 2026. Over 12.11 crore household toilets were built, raising rural sanitation coverage from 39% in 2014 to universal coverage.
PM UjjwalaYojana provided over 10.57 crore free LPG connections, improving women’s health and reducing indoor pollution.
Welfare delivery also expanded in Aspirational Districts and tribal regions via targeted water, sanitation, and livelihood interventions.
Socio-Politics: Smart Modi
In the socio-political context, the BJP and especially PM Narendra Modi have always faced multiple challenges. We have braved trough the most if not all the hurdles. Our critics have been predicting the 'doomsday' on numerous occasions. But challenges keep coming and going.
Our leader, respected Modi is numerouno, - that is Number one. A few years back, the world faced Covid19 and its fallout. In social media and in general discussions - our critics and political opponents took a line that Modi's 'good governance' model has reached its end.
They were too keen to see that the BJP will have to pay a heavy political price. Across the world several leaders lost elections after Covid. That included Donald Trump. Only at a later stage as Democrats committed a series of mistakes that Trump could come back to power. Since the pandemic hit in 2020, incumbent leaders were removed from office in 40 of 54 elections in Western democracies by 2024.
Narendra Modi is perhaps the only leader perhaps at the global stage who survived the trauma of the pandemic. This is not without reasons. Lakhs of Indians consider him close to their hearts. He has a huge fan following and this is not merely by his dynastic surname or some celebrity status.
He is truly a people's leader who has come up the ladder the hard way. In public perception and in reality, he is a decisive leader with vision. He is more than a pragmatic Prime Minister and has been truly a crusader against corruption. The fact of the matter is our detractors and their entire fallacy of campaign against NDA Govt stand exposed in a crystal clear manner.
(M ChubaAo is a former BJP national vice president. Views are personal)
