Kishan Reddy joins Mann Ki Baat 138 event in Hyderabad
Synopsis
PM Modi's 138th Mann Ki Baat episode on 27 September 2026 spotlighted the 2016 Surgical Strike, the upcoming digital Census, and the Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan. Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy attended a community listening event in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.
Key Takeaways
Kishan Reddy joined residents at Jubilee Hills, Film Nagar, Secunderabad for the 138th Mann Ki Baat on 27 September 2026 .
PM Modi revisited the 2016 Surgical Strike across the Line of Control, framing it as a landmark in India's counter-terrorism doctrine.
The PM stressed every citizen's participation in the upcoming Census of India , citing digital-technology use in remote regions.
Modi highlighted the growing scale of the Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan , with millions of young people pledging to stay drug-free.
Mann Ki Baat has run monthly since October 2014 as a direct-to-citizen radio communication platform.
The last completed Census was in 2011 ; the next round has faced repeated delays but now emphasises digital enumeration.
Three themes — surgical-strike pride, a long-delayed Census, and a youth drug-free pledge drive — converged in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 138th Mann Ki Baat episode on Sunday, 27 September 2026, as Union Coal and Mines Minister and BJP Telangana State President G. Kishan Reddy joined residents of Jubilee Hills and Film Nagar, Secunderabad to listen in together.
Surgical strike at centre stage — again
The Prime Minister used the episode to revisit the 2016 Surgical Strike, in which Indian Army units crossed the Line of Control to strike militant launch-pads in a direct response to the Uri attack. Modi framed the operation as a defining shift in India's counter-terrorism posture — a moment when the nation chose to respond with decisive force rather than restraint.
The invocation of a decade-old military operation is not accidental. Mann Ki Baat has, since its launch in October 2014, served as a monthly platform to reinforce the government's narrative on assertive defence policy, using the direct-to-citizen radio format to embed security milestones in public memory. Ten years on, the surgical strike remains a touchstone.
Census and the digital-enumeration push
Modi also placed the spotlight on the upcoming Census of India — the decennial population count that was last completed in 2011 and has since faced repeated delays. The Prime Minister stressed every citizen's role in the exercise and highlighted examples of digital technology being deployed in remote and challenging regions to make the enumeration more accurate and efficient.
The emphasis aligns squarely with the broader Digital India agenda, which has pushed technology adoption from urban centres into India's most difficult terrains. A credible, tech-enabled Census would provide the data backbone for welfare targeting, constituency delimitation, and economic planning — stakes that make the exercise consequential far beyond a headcount.
Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan — millions of pledges, one message
The third thread of the episode was the Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan, the youth-focused anti-drug campaign that grew out of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan launched nationally in August 2020. Modi highlighted the campaign's growing momentum, citing millions of young people pledging sobriety and using creative initiatives to spread a drug-free message through their communities.
Kishan Reddy, who attended the community listening event alongside Jubilee Hills residents, noted these themes from the broadcast — the armed forces' bravery, the Census's national importance, and the youth campaign's reach — as the episode's defining threads. His presence at a public screening underscores the BJP's use of Mann Ki Baat as a grassroots mobilisation tool in Telangana, a state where the party has been building organisational strength.
One radio address, three policy pillars — and a reminder that the monthly Mann Ki Baat slot remains one of the government's most durable instruments for setting the national conversation.
Point of View
Census mobilisation, and youth anti-drug outreach — reflects a deliberate effort to bundle national-security pride, administrative urgency, and social-behaviour messaging into a single broadcast. Kishan Reddy's public attendance in Telangana is consistent with the BJP's strategy of using Mann Ki Baat community screenings to deepen party visibility in a state it is aggressively contesting. The Census emphasis is politically significant: a completed, credible enumeration would trigger delimitation and welfare re-targeting, outcomes with direct electoral and governance consequences. The surgical-strike callback, a decade on, signals that the 2016 operation remains a live electoral and ideological asset for the party.
NationPress
27 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was discussed in PM Modi's 138th Mann Ki Baat episode?
The 138th Mann Ki Baat on 27 September 2026 covered the 2016 Surgical Strike across the Line of Control, the upcoming Census of India and its use of digital technology, and the growing Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan anti-drug pledge campaign.
What is the Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan?
The Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan is a youth-focused anti-drug awareness campaign in which young people pledge to stay drug-free and spread the message through creative community initiatives. It grew out of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan launched nationally in August 2020.
Why did PM Modi mention the 2016 Surgical Strike in Mann Ki Baat?
PM Modi used the episode to recall how Indian Army units crossed the Line of Control to strike militant launch-pads following the Uri attack, framing it as a defining moment in India's counter-terrorism policy. Mann Ki Baat has routinely revisited security milestones to embed them in public memory.
What is the status of the next Census of India?
The last Census was completed in 2011. The next round has faced repeated delays but now places strong emphasis on digital enumeration tools, including technology deployment in remote regions, as highlighted by PM Modi in the 138th Mann Ki Baat.
Where did G. Kishan Reddy watch the 138th Mann Ki Baat?
G. Kishan Reddy joined residents of Jubilee Hills and Film Nagar in Secunderabad, Hyderabad, for a community listening event for the 138th Mann Ki Baat on 27 September 2026.
