PM Modi video-calls Seva Yatris on Varanasi–Vadnagar route, cites Viksit Bharat vision
Synopsis
PM Modi's video call with Seva Yatris wasn't a ceremonial check-in — it was a political and ideological exercise. Spanning groups from Agra, Raisen, Lalitpur and Sagar, the interaction wove together welfare storytelling, a Gandhian social-reform pitch, a helmet safety nudge, and a tribute to Deendayal Upadhyaya, all framed around BJP's grassroots mobilisation ahead of the Abhiyan's October 7 close.
Key Takeaways
PM Modi interacted via video conferencing on 25 September 2026 with Seva Yatris travelling between Varanasi and Vadnagar .
The Seva Sankalp Abhiyan was launched on 17 September 2026 to mark 25 years of Modi's public life and runs until 7 October 2026 .
The yatra covers 20 routes , involves 1,000 Seva Yatris , passes through 1,000 villages , and is conducted over more than 20,000 km by motorcycle.
Modi cited the Ayushman Bharat scheme and housing welfare as examples of grassroots impact shared by participants.
The Prime Minister remembered Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on his birth anniversary, crediting him with the BJP's Swadeshi vision.
Modi urged political workers to pursue social reform beyond electoral considerations, invoking Mahatma Gandhi as a model.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, 25 September 2026, interacted via video conferencing with participants of the Seva Yatra — a motorcycle journey connecting Varanasi and Vadnagar under the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan. The Seva Yatris shared field experiences from their journey through villages, describing beneficiary interactions and the grassroots impact of government welfare schemes.
Key Developments from the Interaction
Yatris currently stationed in Agra told the Prime Minister they were energetic and carrying out their responsibilities effectively. One participant recounted meeting an elderly woman in Unnao who expressed gratitude to Modi for providing her a pucca house under a government housing scheme. Another group, travelling from Raisen in Madhya Pradesh, included a participant named Pradeep, who told the Prime Minister that the group would cover more than 20,000 km during the motorcycle yatra.
Modi also heard from participants from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh and from Sagar in Madhya Pradesh, the latter sharing stories of women whose economic conditions had reportedly improved through welfare initiatives.
What PM Modi Said
Modi underscored the educative value of travelling through rural India, saying such yatras allow the younger generation to grasp the country's diversity and understand people's aspirations at the ground level. He cited the example of Mahatma Gandhi to stress the importance of social reform alongside political work.
'When we look at the life of Mahatma Gandhi, while he fought against the British and led the freedom movement, he was also a great social reformer. He constantly raised his voice and took action against the evils present in society,' Modi said.
He urged participants not to limit their work to electoral considerations. 'We, as political workers, must also keep working for continuous reform in our society; we shouldn't just focus on our vote banks or let things run on autopilot,' he said.
The Prime Minister also called for dignity and respect for sanitation workers, saying these values should be 'instilled in every household.' Notably, he reminded participants wearing saffron turbans gifted by villagers to wear helmets while riding — a candid safety reminder that drew the observation: 'Please don't mistake the turban for a helmet.'
Ayushman Bharat and Grassroots Welfare
During the session, Modi was informed about a family that had used the Ayushman Bharat health scheme to fund treatment for their young daughter, who has since recovered. The Prime Minister also noted photographs from the journey showing before-and-after conditions at locations where participants had carried out service activities, expressing satisfaction with the progress.
Deendayal Upadhyaya Birth Anniversary
Modi used the occasion to remember Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on his birth anniversary, crediting him with providing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) its ideological foundation and the vision of Swadeshi. 'Every BJP worker is proud that Pt Deendayal gave us inspiration, and we are all walking on that path of service,' he said, adding that the ongoing yatra spans 20 routes, involves 1,000 Seva Yatris, covers 1,000 villages, and reaches lakhs of people.
About the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan
The Seva Yatra was launched on 17 September 2026 as part of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, organised to mark 25 years of PM Modi's public life. The two-way motorcycle yatras between Varanasi and Vadnagar pass through multiple states, districts and villages, with activities including cleanliness drives, beneficiary interactions, youth dialogues, Gram Sabha Samvad, Gau Seva, and tree plantation under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative. The journey is scheduled to conclude on 7 October 2026.
On Thursday, Modi had separately interacted with participants travelling in the Vadnagar-to-Varanasi direction. Together, the two sessions represent the Abhiyan's core ambition: to connect BJP's organisational base with community service across India's hinterland, ahead of what observers see as a renewed push to consolidate the party's grassroots identity.
Point of View
000 villages and 20 routes just weeks before the Abhiyan concludes. Modi's invocation of Mahatma Gandhi and Deendayal Upadhyaya in the same breath is deliberate: it positions BJP's service culture as a civilisational continuum rather than a partisan project. What mainstream coverage may underplay is that these yatras double as beneficiary-testimonial harvests, converting scheme data into first-person political narratives. The real measure of their impact will be whether grassroots engagement of this scale translates into durable party presence — or remains a seasonal mobilisation tied to Modi's public life milestone.
NationPress
25 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan and why was it organised?
The Seva Sankalp Abhiyan is a nationwide service and outreach initiative organised by the BJP to mark 25 years of PM Narendra Modi's public life. It was launched on 17 September 2026 and involves Seva Yatris travelling by motorcycle through villages along multiple routes, including the Varanasi–Vadnagar corridor, until 7 October 2026.
What is the Seva Yatra connecting Varanasi and Vadnagar?
The Seva Yatra is a two-way motorcycle journey between Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Vadnagar in Gujarat, conducted under the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan. Around 1,000 participants travel across 20 routes covering more than 20,000 km, engaging with local communities through cleanliness drives, beneficiary interactions, and cultural programmes.
What did PM Modi say during his interaction with Seva Yatris on 25 September?
Modi told participants that such yatras help the younger generation understand India's diversity at the grassroots level. He urged political workers to pursue social reform beyond vote-bank calculations, paid tribute to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on his birth anniversary, stressed dignity for sanitation workers, and reminded participants to wear helmets rather than rely on the saffron turbans given to them by villagers.
Which government schemes were highlighted during the interaction?
Participants shared stories about the Ayushman Bharat health scheme, under which one family reportedly got treatment for their young daughter who has since recovered, and the government's housing scheme, which reportedly helped an elderly woman in Unnao obtain a pucca house.
When does the Seva Yatra end, and what activities do participants carry out?
The Seva Yatra is scheduled to conclude on 7 October 2026. Participants carry out cleanliness drives at ponds, temples, schools and hospitals; beneficiary interactions; youth dialogues; Gram Sabha Samvad; Gau Seva; and tree plantation under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative.
