Ghaziabad, October 2026 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years in public life reflected a political approach centred on nation building rather than merely forming governments.
Addressing the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabha in Ghaziabad, Singh said Modi had demonstrated through his years as Gujarat Chief Minister and Prime Minister that politics could be used as an instrument for building the nation and strengthening society.
“For PM Modi, the meaning of politics was that politics should not be pursued merely to form a government. Rather, politics should be pursued to build the nation and to build society,” Singh said.
He said that before Modi came to power, politics had, in his view, lost much of its meaning and essence. Over the past 12 years, Singh said, Modi had demonstrated a focus on public service and national development.
The Defence Minister also highlighted what he described as Modi’s commitment to work, saying he had known the Prime Minister for 25 years and had seen him remain continuously engaged in public responsibilities.
“You will not find any Prime Minister in the world who has not taken a few days off within a year or two or has not gone on a picnic with his family,” Singh said. He added that whether as Chief Minister or Prime Minister, Modi had not taken a single day off from his responsibilities.
Singh said such leadership was important as India seeks to achieve the goal of becoming a developed nation, or Viksit Bharat, by 2047.
India’s Economic Growth
Highlighting India’s economic performance, Singh said the country had witnessed significant growth over the past 12 years. He said India, which had earlier been ranked around 11th or 12th among the world’s economies, was now among the top five economies under Modi’s leadership.
Singh further said he believed India would soon be counted among the world’s top three economies under Modi’s leadership.
Referring to the economic uncertainty created by the ongoing West Asia conflict, Singh said the government had ensured that the country’s growth momentum was not derailed despite the global crisis.
“While the economies of the major countries and major powers of the world are growing at rates of 2 per cent, 1.5 per cent and 3 per cent, even after such a major crisis emerged globally, India's economy is still growing at a rate of 7.8 per cent,” he said.
Singh described the growth rate as a significant achievement and said India had demonstrated resilience despite challenging international economic conditions.
India’s Global Standing
The Defence Minister also spoke about the change in India’s position on the international stage. He said India was previously not taken seriously at global forums, whereas today statements made by the country were carefully watched by other nations.
“Earlier, small nations, including India, were afraid of hurting powerful nations, but PM Modi never stressed about such things and instead focused on doing whatever it takes for the development of the country,” Singh said.
He linked this approach to what he described as a greater emphasis on national development and India’s interests.
Singh also defended Modi’s record in public life, asserting that despite having been in power for 25 years, the Prime Minister could not be accused of corruption.
Attack on Opposition Politics
Singh also took aim at Opposition parties, accusing them of turning what he described as non-issues into political issues in an effort to gain public support.
“Today, many political parties are turning non-issues into issues, lying down on the streets, to confuse the people and subsequently gain support,” he said.
The Defence Minister urged political opponents to base their criticism on facts. He also said the government was prepared to accept mistakes and apologise to people when necessary.
“Even if we commit any mistakes, we will apologise to the people,” Singh said.
Singh’s remarks came as the BJP and its leaders continue to organise programmes marking Modi’s completion of 25 years in public service. The celebrations have focused on his tenure in Gujarat and at the Centre, as well as the government’s stated objective of building a developed India by 2047.
