Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public life began on October 7, 2001, as the chief minister of Gujarat. (File Photo)The Bharatiya Janata Party will launch a month-long Seva Sankalp Abhiyan to commemorate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years in public life on his birthday, BJP president Nitin Nabin announced Wednesday.Speaking to reporters at the party headquarters, Nabin announced that the programme would begin on September 17 and conclude a month later in October, with October 7 marking his 25 years as an elected representative.The BJP will undertake outreach programmes under 12 categories. The programmes will include those dedicated to the youth and a national event featuring Modi’s interaction with public representatives from the sarpanch level upwards.The outreach will commence with a blood donation camp to mark Modi’s birthday on September 17 as Seva Diwas and will also see party workers and beneficiaries of the NDA government’s welfare schemes lighting ceremonial lamps, or diyas, at their homes as part of the Aashirwad Ka Diya programme.“On 7 October 2026, 25 years of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji’s public service and dedication will be complete. On 7 October 2001, he began his tenure as the chief minister of Gujarat. Over the past 25 years, guided by the mantra of ‘from public service to national service’, he has steadfastly continued this journey of service in its entirety,” Nabin said. “I feel it is our responsibility to take the message of public service to the people,” he added.School competitions and Seva Ki KahaniIn addition to drawing competitions and plays about Modi’s 25 years in public life in schools across the country, Nabin said that under the Seva Ki Kahani programme, people would also be encouraged to post social media content about how the prime minister’s governance changed their lives.The outreach will also include bike rallies between Vadnagar in Gujarat, Modi’s birthplace, and his Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, human chain competitions, and a Seva First Innovation Challenge with the youth, students, startups, professionals, and corporate innovators, with rewards for the most innovative ideas related to national welfare and policies at the core.Story continues below this ad“When he took over the leadership of the nation, India was facing policy paralysis and was being referred to as one of the ‘Fragile Five’ economies. Today, India is the fastest-growing major economy in the world. India’s stature and standing on the global stage have also risen significantly,” Nabin said.The BJP president said every Indian was progressing with dignity even as the country had made “significant progress in ending Naxalism”.From the Ram Mandir to Kashi Vishwanath, Modi has worked to preserve, restore, and develop the country’s rich cultural heritage, Nabin said, underlining his journey from Gujarat where he, through the Narmada project, worked to ensure that water reached every household and, through Vibrant Gujarat, positioned the state as a “major engine of growth and investment”.“Gujarat’s growth became a model of development that other states could aspire to. There was a time when border villages were referred to as the last villages of India. He changed that narrative and called them the first villages of India. This has not only transformed their lives but also changed the way people think about these communities,” the BJP president said.