Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan shared a personal anecdote on Tuesday, 26 May 2026, recalling how Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat, personally walked Chouhan through state development schemes — an account shared under the hashtag #ApnapanBook.

Context

In the post, Chouhan writes in Hindi: 'मुख्यमंत्री बनने के बाद जब मैं गुजरात की योजनाएं समझने नरेंद्र भाई के पास गया' ('After becoming Chief Minister, when I went to Narendra Bhai to understand Gujarat's schemes'). He had expected officials to conduct the briefing, but was surprised to find Modi present in person, explaining every scheme in detail and with full interest.

Chouhan served as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh across four terms, making him one of the longest-serving state leaders in BJP history. The anecdote positions the visit as an early learning exercise in governance, drawing from what the BJP has long called the 'Gujarat model' of administration.

Policy Backdrop

Narendra Modi served as Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014, a period during which the state became a reference point within the BJP for direct, hands-on administrative oversight. Several BJP chief ministers from other states are known to have studied Gujarat's scheme implementation during that era.

The broader pattern — senior BJP leaders publicly crediting Modi's pre-Prime Ministerial governance record — has been a consistent thread in party communication, particularly in content tied to books, campaigns, or anniversaries. The #ApnapanBook hashtag suggests the anecdote forms part of a larger publication or curated collection of such personal accounts, though specific details of the book remain unverified.

Stakeholders and Impact

The post is directed at BJP supporters and the wider public interested in the party's internal culture of governance learning. For state-level BJP leaders and administrators, such accounts reinforce a narrative of institutional knowledge flowing from Modi's Gujarat to other states.

Chouhan's current role as Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development lends additional weight to the anecdote — framing his own administrative career as one shaped, in part, by direct mentorship from the Prime Minister before the latter moved to the national stage.

What's Next

Further posts or events linked to #ApnapanBook are likely to surface more such personal testimonials from BJP leaders about their interactions with Modi. Any formal launch or promotion event for the publication would be an occasion to watch for additional accounts of cross-state governance exchange within the party.