Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 17 : Union Minister L Murugan and BJP leader V Muraleedharan on Thursday extended birthday greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting his 25 years of public service and his vision of a developed India.
Speaking to ANI in Chennai, Murugan said PM Modi had served the nation continuously for the past 25 years, first as the Chief Minister of Gujarat and later as the Prime Minister of India.
"Today is the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has been serving the nation continuously for the past 25 years, first as the Chief Minister of Gujarat and now as the Prime Minister of India. We witnessed the development of Gujarat under his leadership," Murugan said.
He also highlighted infrastructure development across the country, including highways, expressways, railway networks and airports, as well as Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat trains and the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project.
"Recently, at the BRICS Summit, he presented a Russian translation of the Thirukkural to Russian President Vladimir Putin," Murugan added.
Murugan said he prayed at the Vadapalani Murugan Temple in Chennai for the Prime Minister's long life and good health.
"His vision is aligned with Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's dream of a developed India. With the goal of achieving Viksit Bharat by 2047, I pray that he continues to serve the nation with strength and good health," he added.
Meanwhile, speaking in Thiruvananthapuram, BJP leader V Muraleedharan said PM Modi will complete 25 years in elected constitutional office on October 7 and said the BJP has called upon people to observe the period from September 17 to October 7 as the 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan'.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will complete 25 years in elected constitutional office on October 7. Today also happens to be his birthday. Therefore, the Bharatiya Janata Party has called upon people to observe the period from today until October 7 as the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan," Muraleedharan told ANI.
He said PM Modi had long held the view that service to the people was service to the nation.
"His belief has always been that Jan Seva is Rashtra Seva," he added.
Muraleedharan said people across the country were conveying their wishes and offering prayers for PM Modi's long life and good health.
"Today, people across the country are conveying their wishes, offering prayers for his long life and good health, and seeking blessings for him so that he can continue guiding India towards the goal of a developed nation. This is also an occasion for people to reaffirm their commitment to working together to achieve that objective," he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was born on September 17, 1950, in Vadnagar in Gujarat's Mehsana district. He took the oath as the Prime Minister of India on May 26, 2014, becoming the first Prime Minister born after India's Independence.
The BJP is organising the 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' across the country from September 17 to October 17, with a series of service-oriented programmes and public outreach initiatives to mark Modi's birthday.
Several BJP leaders and chief ministers, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, have also extended birthday greetings to the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, leaders from Opposition parties also extended birthday greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wishing him good health and a long life.