Addressing the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabha, the Prime Minister says his 25 years as head of government should be measured by India’s progress, not his personal achievements
New Delhi, Oct 2026 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he had never planned to contest elections or pursue political office, asserting that the values instilled in him since childhood taught him to live not for personal ambition but for a larger mission of serving the country.
Addressing the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabha, Modi said his 25-year journey as head of government should not be viewed as a personal achievement but as an opportunity to renew the country’s collective resolve and work towards national development.
“Today is not just a day for memories; it is a day to fill our resolutions with new energy,” Modi said, calling on citizens to reaffirm their determination to achieve India’s long-term goals.
Referring to his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, Modi said the concept of Sabka Prayas, or collective effort, was central to taking India to greater heights. He urged the gathering to repeat the message of “We will do it” as a declaration of national resolve.
He listed several aspirations, including building a Viksit Bharat by 2047, making India one of the world’s top three economies, achieving an Atmanirbhar Bharat, turning the country into a global manufacturing hub, hosting the Olympics and taking further steps in space exploration.
Modi said many people regarded his uninterrupted 25-year journey as head of government as an achievement, but said he viewed the period differently.
“For me, this is not a matter of personal glorification,” he said, recalling that 25 years ago, at the age of 50, he was working among tribal communities and spending time in the mountains while pursuing an organisational role in the Bharatiya Janata Party.
At that stage, Modi said, his political experience was that of an organisational worker and he had never contested an election.
He said that if his objective had been to establish himself in electoral politics, he could have entered the electoral arena much earlier. However, he said that was not his temperament or approach to public life.
“I never thought about what I would become in life or what would happen to me, because the education and values I received since childhood taught me that I have been a person who lives not for ambition, but for a mission,” Modi said.
He said that throughout his career, he had focused on fulfilling whatever responsibilities were assigned to him, describing selfless action for the country as the central purpose of his life.
Quoting the Bhagavad Gita, Modi referred to the principle of Karmanyevadhikaraste, saying his focus had always been on action and duty.
“For me, action is not merely a responsibility; it is my devotion to the country,” he said.
Modi attributed his uninterrupted public service to the opportunities provided by the country, the trust placed in him by citizens and the lessons he said he had learned from circumstances and experience.
He also offered his own measure of the past 25 years, saying the period should not be assessed by how far he had personally travelled in public life, but by how far the country had progressed.
“If these 25 years are to be assessed, it should not be based on where I have reached, but on how far my country has reached,” he said.
Recalling his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, Modi said he had followed the principle that the development of Gujarat was the development of India.
He acknowledged that his initial years as Chief Minister were challenging, saying he had neither prior experience in running a government nor extensive knowledge of administrative systems when he assumed office.
According to Modi, what he possessed was faith in the people, confidence in their collective strength and experience gained through years of social work.
“I made this faith my strength,” he said, explaining that he sought to involve citizens in decision-making, policy formulation and implementation.
He said the approach was based on taking people along rather than treating development as the responsibility of government alone.
“Taking the people along, I followed the same mantra and said, ‘We will do it! We will do it!’” Modi said.
The Prime Minister’s remarks came as he marked 25 years since taking oath as Gujarat Chief Minister on October 7, 2001. He subsequently moved to national politics and became Prime Minister in 2014, going on to secure mandates in 2019 and 2024.
His address linked the milestone not only to his political journey but also to the broader goals his government has articulated for India, with the emphasis on collective effort, self-reliance, economic growth and the target of a developed India by 2047.
