Modi@25: Celebrating Public Service or Building a Political Brand?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is approaching 25 years in public office, and the BJP has announced a month-long “Seva Sankalp Abhiyan” from September 17 to October 17 to mark the occasion. Modi began his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister on October 7, 2001, making October 7, 2026, the 25-year milestone. The campaign will include blood-donation drives, “Ashirwad ka Diya,” cleanliness activities, youth programmes, school competitions and public events across the country.

From the BJP's perspective, this is a celebration of a political journey that transformed a party worker into a three-time Gujarat Chief Minister and then Prime Minister. The party is presenting the campaign around “Jan Seva se Rashtra Seva”, highlighting welfare schemes, infrastructure, India's global position, startups and women's empowerment. There is nothing unusual about a political party celebrating its leader's achievements. Supporters can legitimately argue that 25 years in public office is a significant milestone deserving recognition.

But the controversy begins when public service and political branding start becoming difficult to separate. The campaign is being organised by the BJP and prominently connects Modi's personal journey with government achievements and the larger vision of “Viksit Bharat 2047.” Critics can therefore ask whether public programmes are primarily about serving citizens—or strengthening the political image of one leader. Blood donation, cleanliness drives and youth participation have genuine social value, but attaching them so closely to a political personality inevitably creates questions about political messaging.

The bigger democratic question is whether a leader's 25-year record should be celebrated through slogans or judged through measurable outcomes. Supporters can point to infrastructure, welfare delivery and India's growing global influence; critics can raise questions about unemployment, inequality, institutional accountability and other unresolved challenges. Both deserve scrutiny. A mature democracy should neither dismiss achievements nor turn them into unquestionable political mythology. So the real question is: Is Modi@25 a genuine celebration of public service—or is “service” becoming the latest language of political branding?