Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan on Tuesday, 26 May 2026 congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on completing 12 years in office, marking the anniversary of Modi's first oath-taking ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 26 May 2014.

Context

Paswan's post opens by invoking the words 'Main, Narendra Damodardas Modi...' ('I, Narendra Damodardas Modi...') — the opening line of the constitutional oath — recalling the moment it 'reverberated through the historic courtyard of Rashtrapati Bhavan exactly 12 years ago.' He described that moment as the beginning of 'a new journey of service, good governance and development' for India.

The tribute was posted in Hindi and reflects a pattern common among National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners of marking governance milestones with public affirmations of solidarity and shared political vision.

Policy Backdrop

Paswan highlighted three pillars he associated with the Modi era: garib kalyan (welfare of the poor) as a governance priority, Antyodaya — the constitutional principle of uplifting the last person in the queue — transformed into a force for Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance), and janbhagidari (people's participation) giving development the character of a mass movement.

Since 2014, successive Modi-led governments have framed policy around targeted welfare delivery for the poorest households, covering housing, sanitation, financial inclusion and nutrition. The Antyodaya framework, originally a concept from welfare economics, has been repeatedly invoked to justify direct-benefit schemes aimed at the bottom of the income pyramid.

Stakeholders and Impact

Paswan's post specifically names women's empowerment, innovation, economic progress and cultural renaissance as domains where he says India has advanced 'at equal pace' under Modi's leadership. He also cited India's posture on national security, describing the country as 'unwavering at its borders, decisive against terrorism, and established as a strong and credible leadership on the global stage.'

As national president of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) — founded by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan and a constituent of the NDA — Chirag Paswan's tribute carries political weight beyond personal sentiment. The LJP (RV) holds a coalition stake in the current government, and such anniversary messaging reinforces the party's alignment with the dominant NDA narrative ahead of future electoral cycles.

The reference to janbhagidari as a development philosophy also echoes the food-processing sector's own push under Paswan's ministry to expand farmer-producer organisations and rural food clusters — linking his ministerial brief to the broader governance story he is celebrating.

What's Next

The 12-year mark is likely to prompt a wider round of policy reviews and scheme-anniversary announcements across ministries. For Paswan's own portfolio, parliamentary debates on ministry-wise performance reports and potential new food-processing or welfare scheme launches timed to governance anniversaries remain on the watch-list. The anniversary also sets the rhetorical tone for NDA's messaging as India moves deeper into the current Lok Sabha term.