Ten years after Indian Army commandos crossed the Line of Control in the dark of a September night, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta sat with residents of the capital on Sunday, 27 September 2026, to listen to the 138th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat — an episode that made the surgical-strike anniversary its emotional centrepiece.

Gupta described the programme as 'aatmiya samvad' (a heartfelt dialogue) between the nation and its citizens, writing that it 'continuously strengthens the resolve of nation-building through public participation.' The Chief Minister was joined by a visible cross-section of Delhi's BJP machinery: MP Yogendra Chandolia, cabinet colleagues Pravesh Sahib Singh, Ashish Sood, and Ravinder Indraj, along with MLAs Raj Karan, Manoj Shokin, and Gajendra Daral.

A decade since the surgical strikes — Modi's zero-tolerance message

The September 2016 surgical strikes remain one of the BJP government's most politically resonant national-security moments. Launched in swift response to the Uri terror attack, Indian Army special forces crossed the Line of Control and destroyed terror-launch pads in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. In his 138th episode, Modi invoked the bravery of those soldiers and reiterated India's 'Zero Tolerance' commitment against terrorism — a phrase Gupta highlighted verbatim in her post.

The timing is deliberate: ten-year anniversaries of high-stakes military decisions carry weight in any democracy, and the BJP has consistently used this milestone to anchor its national-security narrative ahead of multiple electoral cycles. By listening publicly alongside Delhi's top elected and legislative voices, Gupta plants the capital's flag firmly in that framing.

Ashok Singhal, the census, and the threads Modi wove together

Beyond security, the episode ranged across a notably wide canvas. Modi recalled the contributions of Ashok Singhal — the senior RSS pracharak who drove the organisational backbone of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement through the 1980s and 1990s, a decades-long campaign that culminated in the November 2019 Supreme Court verdict and the eventual consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Singhal's legacy sits at the intersection of cultural nationalism and social harmony, both of which Modi reportedly wove into his remarks.

The Prime Minister also called for every citizen's participation in the upcoming national census — a data-collection exercise whose delay has drawn sustained attention from planners and policymakers — and spotlighted grassroots progress on Nasha Mukt Bharat (drug-free India), the Poषण Abhiyan (nutrition mission), environment protection, sport, and the Ek Zila Ek Utpad (One District One Product) scheme, which has been identifying and promoting signature local products for exports since its January 2018 launch.

Mann Ki Baat at 138 — the programme's enduring political geometry

Mann Ki Baat has aired every month since October 2014, making it one of the longest-running direct-to-citizen communication exercises by any sitting Indian prime minister. At its core, the show deploys letters, calls, and local stories to project a picture of a government listening — and of citizens acting. Each episode doubles as a soft-power broadcast for flagship schemes, cultural pride, and governance wins.

For state-level BJP leaders, attending or publicly amplifying the broadcast is a standard but meaningful act of political alignment — it signals solidarity with the central leadership while giving local faces visibility on a nationally watched platform. Delhi, with its unique status as both a city and a political battleground, makes such moments especially high-profile.

With the census overdue and welfare schemes like Nasha Mukt Bharat mid-implementation in Delhi, the episode's call for citizen participation lands in a capital where those conversations are far from settled.