Veteran actor and politician Mithun Chakraborty on Thursday, 17 September 2026, publicly hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday, describing the PM as someone who has 'always remained very straightforward' and praising his clarity of purpose over the years. The tribute came alongside the announcement that West Bengal is observing the day as Annapurna Diwas, marking the fourth instalment of the state's Annapurna Yojana scheme reaching the bank accounts of nearly 1.5 crore women.

Chakraborty's Personal Tribute

Speaking to reporters, Chakraborty wished the Prime Minister warmly, saying, 'Happy Birthday! Please grow more, grow more than now… and may you live a long life, that is what I pray to God.' He noted that people would 'always remember 25 years of PM Modi's service' and expressed the view that no other leader would get the opportunity to serve the nation for as long.

Addressing the Prime Minister as 'Sir', Chakraborty recalled first meeting Modi shortly after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying he had 'always been a huge fan' from the very beginning. He noted that the Prime Minister had not changed since that first meeting. 'He has always remained very straightforward, very clear about what he wants… He has mostly remained direct with me regarding work. I appreciate his straightforwardness and directness,' Chakraborty said.

Annapurna Diwas in West Bengal

West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari had previously announced at Bidhannagar that 17 September would be celebrated as Annapurna Divas in the state every year, tying the occasion to the ₹3,000 monthly assistance scheme for women that was pledged under Modi's guarantee. On Thursday, the fourth instalment of the BJP government's Annapurna Yojana reached approximately 1.5 crore women in Bengal — a political and welfare milestone the BJP has chosen to mark symbolically on the Prime Minister's birthday.

Chakraborty noted that West Bengal is 'very grateful' for the Annapurna Diwas gift, saying 'mothers and the sisters who have been given the gift of Annapurna Diwas' are at the heart of the initiative.

PM Modi's Message to Women

Prime Minister Modi also addressed the women of West Bengal through a social media post on Thursday, stating that the Annapurna Yojana scheme would play a crucial role in empowering them. The post underlined the BJP's effort to present the scheme's disbursal as a tangible birthday-linked deliverable for women beneficiaries across the state.

The Political Backdrop

This comes amid the BJP's continued effort to consolidate its footprint in West Bengal, where it remains locked in a fierce rivalry with the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Chakraborty, who has become one of the party's most recognisable faces in the state, has been deployed at key events to burnish the BJP's appeal among Bengali voters. Designating Modi's birthday as a welfare-linked state observance is a visible political statement — linking the Prime Minister's persona directly to the monthly financial transfer reaching women's accounts.