PM Narendra Modi Marks 22 Years In Constitutional Office, Was Elected As The Chief Minister On October 7, 2001

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is completing 22 years in constitutional office today. Exactly 22 years ago, on October 7, 2001, Narendra Modi took the oath as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. What transpired in the 22 years since then has become a significant part of history. On October 4, 2001, Narendra Modi was unanimously elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party. At that time,  Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel was not prepared to step down, but the BJP believed that he had not handled the earthquake and relief phase well. Therefore, Narendra Modi, who was the BJP General Secretary at the time, was made the Chairman of a Relief and Rehabilitation Committee and sent to Gujarat.

There, he not only handled the unprecedented and common people’s difficulties but also ventured out to find solutions to their problems directly among the public. He was already popular as a campaigner, but when challenging times came, he excelled in the art of going directly among the people and finding solutions to their problems. As the Chief Minister, he began transforming the administration to mirror his vision. After taking the oath, on the very first day, he conducted a video conference with 10 district collectors. It was the first time that a Chief Minister’s swearing-in ceremony was live-streamed on the web.

Idea of Modi Expanded

On October 7, 2023, Prime Minister Modi completed 22 years in the political arena of India. Understanding this important journey dedicated to serving the 1.4 billion Indians over these two decades requires acknowledging the idea of Modi and how he has been establishing new standards of success. When Narendra Modi first became Chief Minister on October 7, 2001, he was grappling with the aftermath of the Gujarat earthquake. After Keshubhai Patel’s resignation, there was turmoil within the BJP. He took command of the administration in just six months, and on February 27, the Godhra incident occurred, followed by the Gujarat riots on February 28, 2002.

Becoming a Development Man from  Hindu Hriday Samrat

Elections were scheduled for 2002. Narendra Modi faced this litmus test. He led on the administrative front, navigated through political pressures, and secured a resounding victory for the BJP in the elections. After this, Narendra Modi gained political strength over time. He achieved significant victories for the BJP in Gujarat in 2007 and 2012. After winning two assembly elections, Brand Modi became popular across the country. The Gujarat Model gained such prominence that even people from remote regions like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh started discussing it. Narendra Modi’s brand and popularity grew stronger after becoming Prime Minister.

Modi Became Prime Minister in 2014

In the 2014 elections, the magic of Modi’s charisma worked so well that it left the opposition stunned in the Lok Sabha elections. The impact of Modi’s magic was such that the BJP secured a resounding victory in 2014, and Modi became the Prime Minister of India. Until then, for nearly nine years, the opposition’s agenda against Modi had failed. The opposition tried to corner Modi on issues like corruption from 2014, but Modi’s clean image thwarted all their attempts. In Indian politics, there have been significant changes on the issue of corruption during Modi’s tenure. In the 1989 elections, Vishwanath Pratap Singh raised the Bofors issue. V.P. Singh would carry a list of Congress leaders involved in Bofors in his pocket and claim it during public rallies.

Even during Narasimha Rao’s government, corruption scandals were widespread, which benefited the opposition, including the BJP. The issue of corruption in the coal allocation, 2G, and Commonwealth Games scams were discussed during the 2014 elections. The result was a loss for the Congress in the elections. The Congress tried to target the Modi government on corruption allegations, but Brand Modi and the Prime Minister’s clean image overshadowed all the opposition’s agendas. In 2019, the Congress raised issues of corruption in the Rafale deal and alleged corruption during demonetization. However, Modi’s magic prevailed over all these challenges.