With Prime Minister Modi’s birthday approaching on 17 September, the BJP enters what it calls ‘service mode’. For the past 11 years, the party has marked this period—till 2 October—with its programme called Seva Parv or Seva Pakhwada.
Rather than grand celebrations, volunteers carry out blood‑donation camps, distribute fruit in hospitals, plant trees, and clean public spaces.
‘Seva’ in BJP’s Narrative
Service, or seva, is central to Gujarat’s former Chief Minister‑turned‑Prime Minister Modi’s public persona.
Since 2014, BJP slogans like ‘Seva aur Samarpan’ (service and devotion) and ‘Seva hi Sangathan’ (service is organisation) have reinforced this theme.
PM Modi has repeatedly emphasised that the government exists to serve, not rule.
During the Covid‑19 pandemic, for instance, cadres were mobilised under Seva hi Sangathan to distribute rations, masks and medicines.
BJP national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha said that PM Modi has always considered himself a ‘reformer first’ and views seva as serving the weaker sections.
Sinha added that these efforts connect with the prime minister’s early days in RSS, when he adopted ‘nation as temple, service as worship’.
Even as Chief Minister of Gujarat, he preferred the title Mukhya Sevak (Chief Servant); later, as Prime Minister, he called himself Pradhan Sevak.
Why a 15‑Day Outreach?
The fortnight serves several purposes. First, it is a tribute to PM Modi’s leadership expressed through service. It also coincides with the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri, aligning their legacies with the BJP’s narrative.
More practically, it functions as a large‐scale outreach exercise. MPs, MLAs and volunteers venture into villages, slums, schools, hospitals and public spaces long before elections are due.
This year, as ‘Make in India’ and domestic manufacturing are under thrust, outreach will emphasise the value of swadeshi products.
This Seva Parv, the BJP plans to intensify several campaigns:
- Youth welfare: The party’s youth wing will organise the “Namo Yuva Run” across 75 cities, focusing also on de‑addiction messages.
- Health drives: About 1,000 district hospitals and multiple mandal‑level camps will conduct blood donations.
- Cleanliness & environment: Clean‑ups at schools, parks, riverbanks, transport hubs and heritage sites.
- Workshops: Local-level workshops have already begun in districts and mandals ahead of the fortnight.
The events will culminate on 2 October, Gandhi Jayanti, reinforcing the BJP’s emphasis on service, humility and grassroots connection.
While Seva Parv holds symbolic value, it also serves as a political tool. It strengthens the BJP’s public image, keeps its activists engaged, and builds networks in preparation for electoral mobilisation.
The blend of social service with political messaging ensures that the party remains visible and active, especially in local communities.
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