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The celebration, which also works as a warm-up for a party that is an election machine, will focus on Make In India and going Swadeshi this year
PM Modi frequently uses ‘Seva’ as a central theme of his political and personal narrative, and it plays a big role in how the BJP frames its public outreach. (Instagram)
It is that time of the year when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) goes into what it calls “service mode” to celebrate the birthday of its most popular face—Narendra Modi—from September 17 till October 2.
Instead of a big bash or cadres cutting gigantic birthday cakes, BJP, for the last 11 years, has been enforcing this ritual where blood-donation drives and fruit distribution among patients in hospitals, cleaning roads, and tree plantation are undertaken. The BJP calls it ‘Seva Parv’ or ‘Seva Pakhwada’, which continues for a fortnight.
HOW MODI USED ‘SEVA’ AS A POLITICAL TOOL
PM Modi frequently uses ‘Seva’ as a central theme of his political and personal narrative, and it plays a big role in how the BJP frames its public outreach. The prime minister has embedded the word in BJP’s philosophy ever since 2014 through phrases like ‘Seva aur Samarpan’ (service and devotion) and ‘Seva hi Sangathan’ (service is organisation).
PM Modi has frequently said the government’s role is to serve, not rule. When Covid-19 hit India, BJP workers were asked to distribute ration, masks, and medicines as part of “Seva hi Sangathan” campaign.
“It’s important to look at him first as a reformer chief minister and then as a reformer prime minister. He is a reformer first and a politician later. His every initiative has a reform agenda at the core of it. Swachh Bharat and Beti Bachao right up to UN Security Council—that’s the trajectory. As a reformer, the result is to ensure Seva of the weaker sections of society. Even if you see globally, he champions the lesser-privileged part of the world, which is the Global South. And that is what makes him stand out,” explained BJP’s national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha, elaborating on the significance of ‘Seva’ as a tool for PM Modi.
During his early life as a pracharak in the 1970s-80s, when he travelled across India as a full-time RSS worker, Modi had an early exposure to the idea of “nation as temple, service as worship”. In 2001, when he became the chief minister of Gujarat, he preferred to call himself “Mukhya Sevak” (Chief Servant) rather than CM. Between 2002 and 2014, as the Gujarat CM, he threw his weight behind programmes like Garib Kalyan Melas that solidified this brand of politics. When he became India’s prime minister in 2014, in his very first speech, he called himself “Pradhan Sevak” (Chief Servant), not a ruler. Those who had tracked Modi’s career since Gandhinagar were not surprised in New Delhi that evening.
WHY SEVA PARV?
But why does the BJP need to hold a 15-day-long nationwide outreach that it brands as ‘service’? The most obvious answer is to celebrate PM Modi’s birthday in a unique style—paying tribute to his leadership through public service.
The fortnight also concludes with Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri’s birth anniversaries, honouring their values and subtly aligning their legacy with that of Modi’s in the subconscious.
Thirdly, it works as a warm-up for a party that is an election machine. Activities are carried out by MPs, MLAs, local leaders, and volunteers—reaching villages, cities, slums, events near schools and hospitals. It helps the party as an initiative where representatives defy political norms to reach them when there’s no election.
WHAT TO EXPECT THIS YEAR?
“Vocal for local becomes very important from the national interest point of view this time because of the challenging situation resulting out of tariffs and also because ‘Make in India’ has been a massive success,” Sinha told News18. He added that as the first phone with Indian chip is about to hit the market, the outreach this time will try to ensure that “best results of Make in India are also seen in people’s choices”. PM Modi himself has at least four times batted for “swadeshi” products in August, with the last being during his Mann Ki Baat programme.
Meanwhile, BJP’s youth wing will also host the ‘Namo Yuva Run’ in 75 cities, with over 10,000 participants expected at each location. One of the core messages of the run will be de-addiction among youths.
District-level workshops were conducted between September 6-10, while Mandal-level workshops will be organised between September 11 and 13 before the 15-day event kicks off. In two phases, 1,000 district hospitals and separately camps in Mandals are being roped in for blood donations. Extensive cleanliness campaigns will be carried out at schools, hospitals, railway stations, bus stops, Namghars, temples, parks, riverbanks, and heritage sites. The events will end on October 2 on Gandhi Jayanti.
Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep throat in …Read More
Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep throat in … Read More
September 10, 2025, 15:15 IST
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