PM Modi turns 73. From Chaiwala to the Sun and the Moon and becoming one of the most popular global leaders, a look at his journey

This birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to be a special one. Under his leadership, India landed on the Moon and the Sun in the same year. Within a gap of few days, India first landed on the Moon and then the Sun.

Diplomatically too, India under PM’s Modi’s astute leadership has established itself as a nation who none can ignore. India achieving a 100% consensus and getting all the G20 nations to adopt the New Delhi Declaration has one more time placed PM Modi as the indomitable global leader on the global stage.
The Prime Minister recently retained the number one position as the world’s most popular leader with an approval rating of 76 percent, according to a survey by US-based consultancy firm ‘Morning Consult’.

Born on September 17, 1950, in Vadnagar, Gujarat, to parents Damodardas Modi and Hiraba Modi, in a poor Gujarati family, his family was in the grocery business and struggled hard to make ends meet. His mother used to wash utensils at houses for extra money.

PM Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India in 2019. He is the longest-serving Chief Minister of Gujarat. He ruled Gujarat from October 2001 to May 2014.
He rose to fame for his inspiring journey, from helping his father sell tea at the Vadnagar railway station to becoming one of the most influential leader in the world.

As PM Modi turns 73 today, let’s take a look at his political career.

Joined RSS in 1971

PM Modi was introduced to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the age of eight and began attending its local shakhas (training sessions). In 1971, Modi became a full-time worker for the RSS in Gujarat.

The RSS assigned him to the BJP in 1985, and he held several positions within the party hierarchy until 2001, rising to the rank of general secretary.

Gujarat Chief Minister (2001-2014)

Modi got his big break in 2001, when Keshubhai Patel, the former chief minister of Gujarat, was forced to step down following the fallout from the earthquake in Bhuj that killed around 20,000 people. He was selected as Patel’s replacement and soon elected to the legislative assembly.
He served Gujarat as the Chief Minister for 14 consecutive years, making him the longest-serving Chief Minister of the state.

Prime Minister of India

Modi was named the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate in 2013 after his success as the Gujarat Chief Minister.

In 2014, a Modi wave swept India, and BJP under the leadership of Narendra Modi won the Lok Sabha elections with a massive 282 seats in their pocket, after which he was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India. He once again swept the Lok Sabha polls for a second term in 2019. His term as the PM will end next year but he and BJP are confident about a third term.

Under his leadership as Prime Minister, Government of India took many significant steps, like the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the Swachh Bharat Mission, the Jal Jeevan Mission, introducing GST, the implementation of the National Education Policy, UPI, India’s fight against COVID and many more. India is currently the fifth-largest economy in the world.