Shivraj wishes Raman Singh on birthday, hails him as 'elder brother'
Synopsis
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan extended warm birthday greetings to Chhattisgarh Assembly Speaker and former Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh on October 15, 2026, calling him an elder brother and invoking Maa Bamleshwari's blessings for his long life and continued public service.
Key Takeaways
Shivraj Singh Chouhan posted birthday greetings on October 15, 2026 for Dr.
Raman Singh , Speaker of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly.
Chouhan referred to Raman Singh as 'bade bhai' (elder brother), underscoring a longstanding personal bond between the two BJP veterans.
He invoked the blessings of Maa Bamleshwari , a revered deity of Chhattisgarh , adding a distinctly regional note to the message.
Raman Singh served as Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh for fifteen consecutive years from 2003 to 2018 , one of India's longest state-level tenures.
Both leaders have served as long-term chief ministers in neighbouring Hindi-heartland states before transitioning to other constitutional and ministerial roles.
A warm message from one BJP veteran to another — Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan extended heartfelt birthday greetings on Thursday, October 15, 2026 to Dr. Raman Singh, the sitting Speaker of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly and former Chief Minister of the state, calling him a cherished elder brother.
Posting in Hindi on X, Chouhan wrote: 'लोकप्रिय जननेता, छत्तीसगढ़ विधानसभा के यशस्वी अध्यक्ष एवं पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री, मेरे बड़े भाई आदरणीय श्री Raman Singh जी को जन्मदिन की आत्मीय बधाई!' ('Heartfelt birthday greetings to the popular public leader, the distinguished Speaker of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly and former Chief Minister, my respected elder brother Shri Raman Singh!'). He invoked the blessings of Maa Bamleshwari — a revered goddess of the Chhattisgarh region — praying for Raman Singh's excellent health, long and glorious life, and the fulfillment of all his commitments to public service and people's welfare.
Two veterans, one long fraternal bond
Dr. Raman Singh served as Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh for an unbroken fifteen years from 2003 to 2018, one of the longest tenures of any state chief minister in India's post-liberalisation era. After the BJP's loss in the 2018 Chhattisgarh assembly elections, he remained a central figure in the party and went on to be elected Speaker of the Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha when the BJP returned to power. The invocation of Maa Bamleshwari — whose principal shrine sits at Dongargarh in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district — adds a distinctly regional and personal warmth to Chouhan's message.
Chouhan himself is no stranger to long chief ministerial tenures: he governed Madhya Pradesh across four terms, cementing his standing as one of the BJP's most durable state-level leaders before moving to the Union Cabinet. The two men represent the BJP's deep bench in the Hindi heartland — neighbouring states, overlapping political generations, and a shared model of grassroots-first governance that the party has long projected as its organisational signature in central India.
Birthday messages between senior leaders are common political ritual, but Chouhan's use of 'bade bhai' (elder brother) and the invocation of a Chhattisgarh deity signals that this bond runs well beyond party protocol — it is the kind of personal capital that oils the wheels of coalition management and inter-state coordination for years to come.
Point of View
Signalling familiarity with the cultural identity of a neighbouring state. Both men represent the BJP's template of long-tenured, grassroots-rooted leadership — a template the party has consciously cultivated in central India. Such public displays of fraternal solidarity also serve to reinforce the image of a united, elder-statesman tier within the organisation.
NationPress
15 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Dr. Raman Singh?
Dr. Raman Singh is a senior BJP leader who served as Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh for fifteen years from 2003 to 2018 and currently serves as Speaker of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly.
Why did Shivraj Singh Chouhan invoke Maa Bamleshwari?
Maa Bamleshwari is a revered goddess whose principal shrine is in Dongargarh, Chhattisgarh. Chouhan invoked her as a gesture of deep regional respect and personal warmth toward Raman Singh, who is rooted in Chhattisgarh.
What is Shivraj Singh Chouhan's current role?
Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development in the Government of India, and a senior BJP leader and former four-term Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.
What is Raman Singh's role in the Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha?
Dr. Raman Singh serves as the Speaker of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, a constitutional position he assumed after the BJP's return to power in the state.
How long did Raman Singh serve as Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh?
Dr. Raman Singh served as Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh for fifteen consecutive years, from 2003 to 2018, making it one of the longest uninterrupted chief ministerial tenures in post-liberalisation India.
