PM Modi thanks world leaders for 'heartfelt wishes' on becoming India's longest-serving Prime Minister

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed gratitude to several world leaders who congratulated him on becoming Indias longestserving elected Prime Minister describing their messages as warm and heartfelt while reaffirming Indias commitment to strengthening bilateral partnershipsLeaders from countries including the United States Singapore Israel Germany Italy Bhutan and Guyana extended their congratulations after Modi surpassed the record previously held by Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal NehruWorld leaders congratulate PM Modi on historic milestoneA number of heads of government and state took to social media to congratulate Modi on achieving the milestone of serving 4399 days as an elected Prime MinisterResponding to the messages Modi thanked the leaders individually and highlighted the importance of continued cooperation with their respective countriesSingapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong was among the first leaders to send his wishes In response Modi said he looked forward to working closely with Singapore to further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nationsHe also thanked Irfaan Ali for his message and expressed confidence that India and Guyana would continue to deepen cooperation across multiple sectors for the benefit of their citizensFocus on strengthening bilateral partnershipsAcknowledging the congratulatory message from Donald Trump Modi said he looked forward to advancing the IndiaUS Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interestThe Prime Minister also responded to a congratulatory video shared by Benjamin Netanyahu describing him as a friend and expressing confidence that ties between India and Israel would continue to grow stronger in the coming yearsIn his message to Friedrich Merz Modi thanked the German leader for his wishes and reiterated Indias commitment to enhancing the strategic partnership between the two countriesItaly Bhutan among nations extending wishesModi also acknowledged the message sent by Giorgia Meloni and said he looked forward to building on the momentum of the IndiaItaly Special Strategic PartnershipSimilarly he thanked Tshering Tobgay for his warm wishes stating that he deeply values the unique and longstanding relationship between India and BhutanAccording to officials several other global leaders also extended their greetings reflecting Indias growing diplomatic engagement with countries across regionsModi surpasses Nehrus elected tenure recordThe congratulatory messages came a day after Modi became Indias longestserving elected Prime MinisterThe milestone was achieved after he completed 4399 days in office surpassing Jawaharlal Nehrus elected tenure The comparison is based on Nehrus period in office from 1952 onwards following Indias first general elections and excludes his years as head of the interim government between 1947 and 1952Modi first assumed office in May 2014 and has since led the Bharatiya Janata Party BJPled National Democratic Alliance NDA to three consecutive Lok Sabha election victories in 2014 2019 and 2024A decade marked by major infrastructure initiativesThe Prime Ministers tenure has coincided with several largescale infrastructure and development projects undertaken by the Union governmentAmong the major initiatives launched or completed during this period are the new Parliament building the Central Vista redevelopment project Kartavya Path the Vande Bharat train network the Statue of Unity INS Vikrant the Kashmir rail link project Noida International Airport the Namo Bharat Regional Rapid Transit System RRTS and the Ganga ExpresswayWith Modi now entering his third consecutive term as Prime Minister the government has indicated that infrastructure development economic growth connectivity projects and strategic partnerships will remain key priorities in the years aheadThe messages from world leaders also underscored the significance of the milestone in the context of Indias expanding global role and its growing engagement with major international partnersWith inputs from IANS