BJP leader Smriti Irani addressed an assembly of intellectuals and community leaders at the 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sammelan' organised by BJP Punjab in Mohali on 18 June 2026, marking the completion of 12 years of the Narendra Modi-led central government. The event celebrated a decade-plus of what the party describes as service, good governance, and public welfare under Prime Minister Modi.

Context

Irani, posting in Hindi, said she addressed 'prbuddhajanon' (distinguished citizens and intellectuals) at the conference convened to mark twelve years of the Modi government. She described the occasion as a moment to reflect on how governance under PM Modi has been aligned with 'jan aakankshaaon' — the aspirations of the people — and credited development, innovation, and public participation for giving India 'new momentum, new confidence, and a new global identity.'

The sammelan is part of a broader series of outreach programmes under the Viksit Bharat framework, which envisions India as a developed nation by 2047. Holding the event in Mohali, a city in Aam Aadmi Party-governed Punjab, signals the BJP's intent to expand its organisational footprint in a state where it is currently in opposition.

Policy Backdrop

Prime Minister Modi first assumed office in May 2014 after the BJP-led NDA secured a majority in the Lok Sabha. The party returned to power in 2019 with an increased mandate, and has since contested and won three successive general elections. Irani noted in her post that BJP has received 'immense public support and trust' across these three Lok Sabha polls as well as in various state elections.

The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra was launched nationally in November 2023 as a scheme-saturation drive to connect eligible citizens directly with central government welfare programmes. The current sammelan series extends that messaging into the political domain, framing welfare delivery as evidence of ideological commitment to 'Rashtra Pratham' — nation first.

Stakeholders and Impact

The event's primary audience is Punjab's electorate, BJP booth-level workers, and potential scheme beneficiaries who may not yet be enrolled in central programmes. For the party, such conferences serve a dual purpose: reinforcing the central government's governance record while building grassroots organisational capacity in a state it is working to reclaim.

Irani, a senior leader frequently deployed for party outreach in Punjab and the Hindi heartland, lent national weight to what is essentially a state-level mobilisation exercise. Her post framed the twelve-year milestone as a collective achievement rooted in BJP's ideology and the principle of 'Maa Bharati ko param vaibhav tak pahunchana' — elevating India to its highest glory.

What's Next

The BJP is expected to sustain this cadre-activation and public-outreach tempo in Punjab ahead of the 2027 state assembly elections, where the party will test whether its booth-level expansion translates into electoral gains. Successive Viksit Bharat events across opposition-ruled states are likely to continue serving as the primary vehicle for projecting central governance achievements at the ground level.