Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a landmark moment in his political career to launch a sharp attack on the Congress, saying the party unfairly blamed Hindus for its economic failures by popularising the term “Hindu growth rate”. Addressing NDA leaders after becoming India’s longest continuously serving elected Prime Minister, PM Modi said the phrase should have instead been called the “Congress growth rate” because it reflected the shortcomings of Congress governments rather than the country’s people.
Referring to the years of Congress-led rule, PM Modi said, “The country has been liberated from the Congress. They made people believe that development would be slow in India. They gave it a name: Hindu rate of growth. The failures were of the Congress, but the blame was upon Hindus. It should have been called the Congress rate of growth.” The remarks came as PM Modi completed 4,399 consecutive days as an elected Prime Minister, surpassing the previous record held by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Historic milestone becomes platform for attack on Congress’s economic legacy
While marking the record, PM Modi said he never imagined he would one day become the longest continuously serving elected Prime Minister. He described the achievement as a blessing and credited the people of India for making it possible.
“I never thought that I would get the opportunity to be the longest serving elected PM. This is my good fortune. It’s only with God’s grace that this was possible, and for me, people are like God,” PM Modi said. Addressing NDA colleagues, he added that the journey had been a collective effort. “This has been like a yagna in which you all contributed. I thank all such friends today.”
PM Modi also reflected on his long political journey, saying, “You have all made this day truly memorable for me. I am overwhelmed and deeply grateful. Chanting the mantra of Chareveti, Chareveti and witnessing numerous ups and downs in this political journey, I had never imagined that this milestone would one day be reached.”
Focus on poverty reduction and aspirations of a changing India
Alongside his criticism of Congress, PM Modi highlighted his government’s efforts to improve the lives of ordinary citizens. He said special attention was needed to ensure that those who had recently moved out of poverty did not fall back into difficult circumstances.
“I believe that we must not let those who were poor yesterday, and have now become the neo middle class, slip back. Therefore, as a government and as public representatives, we must work day and night,” PM Modi said. He added that the government remained committed to fulfilling the aspirations of India’s youth, women, farmers and middle class.
The Union Cabinet also passed a resolution describing June 10, 2026, as a historic day in Indian democracy. The resolution praised PM Modi for becoming the country’s longest-serving elected Prime Minister and said the milestone reflected public trust, democratic strength and the support given by people to a leader guided by a “Nation First” approach. By completing 4,399 continuous days in office, PM Modi moved ahead of Jawaharlal Nehru’s record of 4,398 days between 1952 and 1964.
(with inputs from ANI)
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Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
