Narendra Modi Marks Diwali with Soldiers and Political Rivals

Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the Diwali season with a series of public and personal engagements in New Delhi and via social media. During a Diwali Milan event at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters, Modi reflected on his 25-year tenure as a head of government, noting his service as Chief Minister of Gujarat since 2001 and Prime Minister since 2014. He discussed the evolution of political communication, contrasting the current age of Instagram reels with the 1990s, when he had to search for fax machines to distribute press releases.

Bharatiya Janata Party National President Nitin Nabin praised Modi for his tradition of celebrating the festival with the armed forces. Nabin highlighted the Prime Minister's visits to soldiers at the INS Vikrant and border regions, noting that this year's celebrations included security personnel involved in the fight against Naxalism.

In a personal gesture, Modi extended Diwali and Gujarati New Year greetings to Sam Pitroda, the chief of the Indian Overseas Congress, addressing him as "Sam Bhai" on X. This exchange follows comments from Pitroda, who described Modi as a "Gujarati friend" and characterized him as warm and caring on a personal level, despite their deep ideological differences. The cordiality persists even as the BJP continues to allege foreign interference involving Congress leaders, claims which Pitroda has dismissed.