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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (April 6, 2026) paid tribute to Bharatiya Janata Party workers who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, stating that even when faced with “hostile environments” in States such as West Bengal and Kerala, the party cadre continue to toil selflessly for the country.
Addressing the workers at the BJP Foundation Day event through video conferencing, Mr. Modi said that, against all the odds, through sheer diligence and unwavering resolve, they had brought the party to where it stands today.
“Many of our party workers have even had to sacrifice their lives. We have seen how violence has been turned into a political culture in States like Bengal and Kerala. Even in such circumstances, BJP workers continue to work fearlessly, with a spirit of service to the country,” he said.
“While effectively addressing current challenges, we are preparing the country for the future, such as demographic shifts, illegal infiltration, corruption, dynastic politics, and a colonial mindset... a serious ongoing nationwide discourse is going on in issues such as Uniform Civil Code and ‘One Nation, One Election’,” said the Prime Minister. He said the party’s ultimate goal was a developed and self-reliant India.
Mr. Modi said under new BJP president Nitin Nabin, the party was working with full energy and a new approach in the five election-bound States. “Today, we have established a new paradigm in Indian politics: the principle of ‘nation first’. The BJP has also set a new benchmark for coalition politics,” he said, adding that the party formed a coalition with the sole objective of achieving national goals.
He said the BJP delivered exactly what it promised, citing the example of women’s reservation. “We are now working with full energy to ensure that the upcoming elections are held in complete alignment with the spirit of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam [Saluting Women’s Power],” he said.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to the party’s founders and senior leaders, including Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Deendayal Upadhyaya, Nanaji Deshmukh, Kushabhau Thakre, Jana Krishnamurthi, Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia, Sunder Singh Bhandari, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, P. Parameswaran, and Kabindra Purkayastha.
Recounting the BJP’s early days, Mr. Modi said despite scarce resources, “brutal repression of Emergency”, “conspiracies hatched by the Congress”, and “relentless attempts to politically ostracise the BJP”, the party workers strove ceaselessly and endured hardships to connect with the masses.
Analysing the reasons behind the party’s success, he said at the core was its steadfast principles and commitment. Attributing the workers’ “pure intent and unblemished integrity” to the foundational influence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he said the party has built a robust organisational structure.
“With our emergence, two distinct streams became clearly defined within the landscape of Indian politics: one represented politics driven by the pursuit of power, the other represented politics driven by the spirit of service,” he said.
Stating that the party has become the symbol of last-mile delivery, guided by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s “antyodaya” (upliftment of the last person) principle, he said the BJP-led government has lifted 25 crore poor people out of poverty. “Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee sacrificed his life for the sake of Jammu and Kashmir...right from its inception, the BJP had resolved to remove Article 370 and we accomplished the goal,” said Mr. Modi.
Listing the achievements in various sectors, he said the BJP-led government also succeeded in breaking the back of Maoism and was working towards “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat (One India, Great India)”.
He accused the Congress of prioritising only one family. In contrast, he said, the BJP was recognising and honouring the contributions of every illustrious son and daughter of Mother India, including Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Nabin said although the BJP was established in 1980, its ideology -- the spirit of nationalism that its senior leaders championed and worked for right from the Jan Sangh days -- remained a source of deep inspiration for the workers even today. He said Mr. Modi has consistently moved forward by upholding the party’s key tenets of nationalism, antyodaya, and good governance.
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