Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Members of Parliament visited prominent places of worship across the country on 17 September 2026 to offer prayers for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's health and longevity on the occasion of his birthday. The visits — at two of India's most revered shrines — underscored the ruling party's tradition of marking the Prime Minister's birthday with public gestures of goodwill.

Prayers at Jagannath Temple and Golden Temple

BJP MP Sambit Patra visited the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, where he performed a puja and offered prayers for the Prime Minister's long and healthy life. Separately, BJP MP Tarun Chugh travelled to Sri Harmandir Sahib — the Golden Temple — in Amritsar, Punjab, to seek blessings for Modi's wellbeing.

What the MPs Said

Addressing reporters, Patra said: 'On the occasion of our dearly beloved Prime Minister Modi's birthday, we offered our prayers to Lord Jagannath and performed puja. We prayed for the PM's long and healthy life. We are all part of his family who have benefited from various policies launched by PM Modi. Some of us have benefited from Ayushman, some through Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, some from Ujjwala, and some from Ujala. More than 80 crore people have benefited. Thus, we prayed for his long, healthy life. The people of Puri prayed at the Almighty's feet that Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains healthy. I would urge others to do the same.'

Chugh, speaking after his visit to Sri Harmandir Sahib, said: 'Sri Harmandir Sahib always guides and blesses all of us. We draw strength from here, which allows us to move forward. Today is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday.' He added that Modi 'has devoted his entire life to service, to the progress of the country and to ensuring that India's name shines across the world.'

25 Years of Governance Highlighted

Chugh noted that 25 years of Modi's tenure as a head of government — spanning his time as Chief Minister of Gujarat and subsequently as Prime Minister — were completed on this date. 'Every moment of these 25 years has been dedicated to serving and advancing the nation,' he said. Chugh credited Modi's policies with achieving a 7.8% GDP growth rate and positioning India as 'the world's 4th most powerful nation in economic terms,' though these figures were stated as the MP's claims and were not independently verified at the time of publication.

Welfare Schemes Cited

Both MPs cited flagship government welfare programmes as evidence of Modi's impact. Chugh referenced the provision of water supply connections to nearly 18–19 crore households and homes to 6 crore people under schemes launched during Modi's tenure. He said close to 100 crore people are benefiting from welfare initiatives of the current administration, according to his assessment. He expressed hope that Modi's vision of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) would be realised, with specific mention of development ambitions for Punjab.

The birthday observances reflect the BJP's broader political messaging around Modi's governance legacy, with the party increasingly framing welfare delivery as a personal achievement of the Prime Minister ahead of future electoral cycles.