BY SANJEEB KUMAR SAHOO
No one is against celebrating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday across the country. However, many people may question the way it was celebrated. I do not know whose idea it was, but instead of the “Aashirwad Ka Diya” campaign, the BJP and its top leaders and members could have taken an oath on September 17, 2026, to launch two social-benefit schemes in the education and healthcare sectors under the NAMO name.
Since “NAMO” is a popular nickname and acronym formed by combining the first two letters of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first name (NA) and last name (MO).
Both schemes could have been designed to make education and healthcare more affordable and accessible to every Indian citizen. Around 96% of Indians cannot afford the fees charged by #Gurgaon-based #Medanta Hospital, while many Indian families also cannot afford the high fees charged by English-medium schools.
Going forward, after seeing in person and through videos how money was spent on lighting diyas, many people on social media and in the streets are saying that the BJP, its alliance partners, and their leaders appear to have used Indian taxpayers’ money to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. Even some BJP supporters who voted for the party in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are unhappy with this approach, particularly at a time when inflation remains a major concern.
Yet, Union Ministers, BJP lawmakers, and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states across the country spent taxpayers’ money on lighting candles and diyas on September 17 to celebrate the Prime Minister’s birthday.
On the other hand, there was a possibility that opposition political parties would not have openly praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but they might have quietly appreciated such initiatives if the BJP had marked his birthday on September 17, 2026, by organising health camps, launching educational initiatives, and distributing essential items to needy people through party offices across the country, including the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.
To celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday and make September 17, 2026, a memorable day, BJP Lok Sabha MPs and MLAs could also have launched high-tech, technologically advanced NAMO Hospitals and NAMO Schools in their respective Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies.
BJP Rajya Sabha MPs could also have announced a 30,000-bed hostel facility for Delhi University students and new campuses for Delhi University, with funding allocated through their Rajya Sabha Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds.
Similarly, BJP and its alliance partners’ leaders could have donated the money spent on birthday celebrations to cancer patients through a NAMO Help Yojana, rather than spending crores of rupees on advertisements in big corporate media houses, newspapers, and television news channels. Reports from India indicate that approximately 15 lakh new cancer cases are diagnosed every year.
BJP Lok Sabha MPs, Rajya Sabha MPs, MLAs, and MLCs could also have started a month-long public outreach programme by visiting their respective Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies, meeting voters, understanding their problems, and working to resolve those issues within a month.
The idea behind the BJP’s Seva Sankalp Bike Yatra, which began from Varanasi and was planned to travel to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthplace, Vadnagar in Gujarat, on September 17, 2026, to mark his 76th birthday, is understandable as a party activity. However, such a bike yatra may not provide direct or lasting benefits to ordinary citizens.
I would like to conclude by saying that the BJP, Union Ministers, BJP Lok Sabha MPs, Rajya Sabha MPs, MLAs and MLCs, corporators, leaders, and members have missed a golden opportunity to reconnect with the people at a time when some people are expressing growing dissatisfaction with the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This comes after the July 20, 2026, incident in New Delhi, when the Delhi Police used lathi charges, tear gas, and water cannons against protesters who were marching towards Parliament House and Jantar Mantar during a “Sansad Chalo” protest demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities and paper leaks.
