MODI@25: When Narendra Modi @narendramodi took charge as Gujarat CM this day 25 years ago, few expected him to last more than a year. He was the backroom figure who hadn’t contested an election, didn’t belong to a dominant caste, the Gujarat BJP was split wide open, the state had seen four CMs in the previous 5 years. And yet, Modi has proven all the sceptics wrong. 25 years and counting: no single individual has consolidated power around himself for such an extended period in post independence India. It’s been the age of ‘MODITVA’. 🙏

In my 48 years in public life, I have seen governments change, economies transform, technologies disrupt the world and leaders rise and fall. One lesson has only become clearer with time: leadership matters. As Prime Minister @narendramodi Ji completes 25 uninterrupted years in executive office, I reflect on what makes his journey exceptional - clarity of vision, integrity, discipline, attention to detail and, above all, the ability to execute. Through a pandemic, wars, geopolitical uncertainty and rapid technological change, India has remained steady at the wheel. We have expanded infrastructure at an unprecedented pace, strengthened welfare delivery, embraced technology, encouraged enterprise and emerged with greater confidence on the world stage. Few leaders get the opportunity to shape a generation. Rarer still are those who help shape the destiny of a nation. I’m delighted to present my opinion piece today in @the_hindu on Prime Minister Modi Ji’s 25 years of leadership and the transformation of India. thehindu.com/opinion/lead/tw…

INTERESTING: FULL PAGE ads from the Shiv Sena (Shinde group) in every newspaper (or at least the ones I read) celebrating PM@25. Meanwhile, large parts of Maharashtra are facing a major drought with severe water shortage. Mr @mieknathshinde has reportedly raised the drought issue in his recent meeting with PM. Hopefully, monies will reach the distressed farmers too! 🙏

𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗜𝗥 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? The CEC and Election Commissioners have legal protection under the 2023 law, while the 𝗖𝗘𝗖 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. The Opposition also does not have the numbers to push such a move through. So the battle is increasingly shifting from 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Rahul Gandhi’s campaign over SIR has put the Election Commission and its role in elections at the centre of the political debate. 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱?

Thoughts on @narendramodi's Power aka Seva Yagna Anniversary. As journalists, we are taught to report the truth. To question those in power. Soon after the Gujarat earthquake in 2001, there were stories about corruption, administrative failures and the weakness of the BJP government's rehabilitation effort. Many of the stories reaching us came from a common source within the BJP itself. Always backed with solid evidence. Keshubhai Patel eventually stepped down as Chief Minister. I remember his extraordinary calm and grace. Keshubhai said that RSS had shaped his thinking and life and the party( bjp) was bigger than the position. Then, on October 7, 2001, Narendra Modi was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Till then, for journalists, Modi was an ideal source.He spoke to us. Cleared our doubts, gave us stories. He always emphasised about democracy and the freedom of the press. He encouraged us to ask difficult questions. I remember the afternoon he was sworn in, vividly. A number of industrialists were waiting to meet the new Chief Minister. But Modi chose to have lunch with us (journalists) and BJP workers. He personally offered churma ladoos. अपने हाथ से खिलाया था! Then came March 2002.And everything changed for those who happened to be in establishments or who themselves chose to ignore "requests" to co operate. Godi media was born in Gujarat much before the term was coined. (credit to @ravish_journo for the coinage). IT cell was born in Gujarat much before @WhatsApp was invented. Gujarat was the OG lab. Gujarat model became the national model post 2014. Glad that the Gen Z is fighting for the very ideals that define the essence of India. And thanks to all those who have stood by me since 2002. Your support is valuable. Special thanks and shout out to @thewire_in @svaradarajan @seemay for the super contribution towards restoring democracy!

My colleague @ashoupadhyay has been filing repeated RTIs to find out how many Bangladeshis/Rohingyas have been identified/deported pre/post SIR. What mechanism is being followed for deportation? Ans: NO DATA AVAILABLE (NDA) so NO response yet. We will continue to ask the Qs. Facts need to be separated from the noise. indiatoday.in/india/story/mh…

13 crore is headline. You have to minus the dead and those who migrated to get the real deletions. 13 crore is a nonsensical figure. Its like a headline saying one crore indians dead- which is the country's annual death rate - without specifying what was natural and what unusual

Shailendra Singh sang this song in 1973 at the age of 21 and now he is singing it again at the age of 75 Great song Great singer.... 🙏

BIG | Supreme Court slams the brakes on ECI's claim. CJI Surya Kant: "Any modified Form 6 has not been approved by us. Let's be clear." ECI had said last week that the new declaration on the online Form 6 for SIR was SC-approved. The CJI now says the Court wants to see who modified it. Hearing a plea seeking prosecution of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, he said: "When the record is produced, we would like to see who has modified." So who changed Form 6, and on whose authority? #SIR #SupremeCourt #ECI

In response to an argument on the “unlawful” modifications made to Form 6, which new voters have to fill, CJI Surya Kant on Monday said that the Supreme Court hadn’t approved “any” of the modifications to Form 6 and indicated that the court will examine who had modified it upon receiving a report from the Election Commission. Read: indianexpress.com/article/le…

With premiums so high, 'insurance' loses its role in a person's life.

Sharp Edge: Now that the Supreme Court has suggested that the EC misled the nation about Form 6, Gyanesh Kumar has become a liability for Modi. Even if he ‘helps’ the BJP win UP no victory will have much credibility as long as Gyanesh is around. Modi needs to sack him if not in the national interest then in Modi’s own political interests. theprint.in/opinion/sharp-ed…