Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday, 26 May 2026, shared a personal anecdote on X recalling how Narendra Modi, then BJP in-charge for Madhya Pradesh, demonstrated a forward-looking grasp of technology during an election-preparation meeting — a time when email was far from routine among party workers.

Context

Chouhan recounted that when Modi arrived as the party's organisational in-charge for Madhya Pradesh, Chouhan himself was serving as the state BJP Mahamantri (General Secretary). During a meeting focused on election preparations, Modi abruptly asked the room: 'Bataiye, email ID kis-kis ke paas hai?' ('Tell me, who among you has an email ID?'). The question drew blank looks from many in the room, with workers glancing at one another in uncertainty.

Chouhan noted that for activists of his generation at that time, email and technology were far from everyday concerns. Yet Modi, he wrote, was already looking ahead — having understood that technology would become the defining strength of India's future.

Policy Backdrop

The episode predates Modi's tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, which began in 2001 and became associated with a series of e-governance initiatives aimed at transparent and efficient service delivery. The trajectory from that early organisational curiosity to large-scale digital governance found its national expression in the Digital India programme, launched in 2015, which sought to expand technology across government functioning, public services, and citizen engagement.

The post is tagged #ApnapanBook, suggesting it is part of a broader collection of personal tributes or reminiscences being compiled or promoted around Prime Minister Modi, though the full scope and authorship of the project have not been independently confirmed.

Stakeholders and Impact

The anecdote is directed primarily at BJP workers and the party's wider support base, reinforcing a narrative of Modi as a leader with rare organisational foresight. Senior party figures sharing such personal memories serve to deepen the image of continuity between Modi's early organisational work and his later national governance record.

For the broader public, the post illustrates how technology adoption — now taken for granted in Indian political campaigns, from social-media outreach to data-driven voter management — was once a novel idea even within a major national party's state unit.

What's Next

The #ApnapanBook hashtag is likely to draw further contributions from BJP leaders and veterans sharing similar recollections, building a curated archive of personal accounts centred on Prime Minister Modi. Chouhan's continued participation in such exercises also signals his active role in the party's communication strategy, alongside his ministerial responsibilities in Agriculture and Rural Development. Whether the book results in a formal publication or a digital campaign remains to be seen, but the momentum of senior leaders' participation suggests a structured rollout is under way.