New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday has entered another milestone of 20 years in public office without a pause, in what could be seen as a breakthrough for the Bharatiya Janata Party at the national level.
PM Modi’s three year long term as Chief Minister of Gujarat had a severe impact on the Congress regime in the Centre. His successful ruling and development in Gujarat paved way for Prime Ministerial post, which can be termed as ‘Modi Model’.
The BJP’s long agenda of Ram Temple in Ayodhya was fulfilled after Modi came into power. He laid the foundation stone for the temple in Ayodhya on August 5 this year. In yet another win for the BJP was abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and later banning the practice of triple talaq.
Amid the country reeling under the COVID-19 pandemic, PM Modi pushed for ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat or self-reliant India.” Effective response to terrorism originating from Pakistan and Chinese aggression on the LAC, and the latest reforms in the agriculture sector are some of the highlights.
Modi was appointed Chief Minister of Gujarat on 7 October 2001 following the earthquake in Bhuj. His policies as chief minister, credited with encouraging economic growth, have received praise. . He established financial and technology parks in Gujarat and during the 2007 Vibrant Gujarat summit, real-estate investment deals worth ₹6.6 trillion were signed.
In September 2013 Modi was named the BJP’s candidate for prime minister ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election.Modi played a dominant role in the BJP’s election campaign. Several people who voted for the BJP stated that if Modi had not been the prime-ministerial candidate, they would have voted for another party.
Prior to the election Modi’s image in the media had centered around his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, but during the campaign the BJP was able to shift this to a focus on Modi’s neoliberal ideology and the Gujarat model of development.
The BJP won 31% of the vote and more than doubled its tally in the Lok Sabha to 282, becoming the first party to win a majority of seats on its own since 1984.
