PM Modi turns 76: From Droupadi Murmu to Rahul Gandhi, global leaders and celebs shower birthday wishes

What happens when a Prime Minister’s birthday becomes a political occasion, a public-service campaign and a moment of cross-party greetings — all on the same day?

For Narendra Modi, September 17 has brought all three together.

PM Modi turned 76 on Thursday, and birthday messages began arriving from across the political spectrum, from President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President C P Radhakrishnan to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Bollywood celebrities and sportspersons also joined the chorus of greetings.

The birthday also coincides with a significant milestone in PM Modi’s political career. On October 7, he will complete 25 years in elected executive office, having first become Gujarat chief minister in 2001 before taking over as Prime Minister in 2014.

And there is no quiet birthday schedule either. PM Modi is in Delhi on Thursday to inaugurate SEMICON India 2026, putting India’s semiconductor ambitions in the spotlight on his birthday.

President Murmu highlights Modi’s 25 years in public service

President Droupadi Murmu led the formal birthday greetings, highlighting Modi’s 25 years as chief minister and Prime Minister. In a post shared by Rashtrapati Bhavan, Murmu said Modi had established “many new benchmarks of good governance” and given “unprecedented momentum and a new direction” to inclusive development. She wished him good health and a long life.

Vice President C P Radhakrishnan also greeted Modi, pointing to what he described as India’s economic resilience, poverty reduction and expansion in areas including digital technology, infrastructure, healthcare, manufacturing and space.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Union ministers, including Hardeep Singh Puri and Nirmala Sitharaman, were among those who also sent birthday messages. Birla highlighted Modi’s more than 25 years in public life, while Puri referred to flagship government programmes and reforms.

Rahul Gandhi and Kharge wish Modi good health and long life

The birthday greetings crossed the political divide. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi kept his message brief, writing on X: “Happy birthday to PM Narendra Modi ji. Wishing you good health and a long life.”

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge similarly wrote: “Best wishes to Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and long life.”

Other Opposition figures also extended greetings. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav wished Modi a “healthy, active, and meaningful life”, while BSP chief Mayawati and NCP leader Sharad Pawar were among those reported to have sent birthday messages. Congress MP Manish Tewari also posted birthday greetings for the Prime Minister.

Tamil Nadu CM Vijay and Omar Abdullah join birthday wishes

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay also extended his greetings to Modi. “I extend my heartfelt birthday wishes to the Prime Minister of India, Thiru. Narendra Modi avargal, who leads with dedication towards building a strong India. I wholeheartedly wish you a long life filled with good health,” Vijay said in his message.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also posted his wishes: “Wishing PM @narendramodi a very happy birthday. Wish you good health and a long life.”

The messages come at a time when relations between the Centre and several state governments remain politically contested, making the cross-party birthday greetings a notable feature of the day.

Global leaders also send birthday wishes to PM Modi

The birthday greetings also extended beyond India. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent PM Modi a warm birthday message, praising what he described as the Prime Minister’s “deep respect” among his compatriots and “great authority on the global stage”. Putin also credited PM Modi with making a major contribution to the “special and privileged strategic partnership” between India and Russia. In the message, Putin thanked PM Modi for the warm hospitality extended to him during his recent visit to New Delhi and described their discussions as “substantive, frank, and productive”.

The message came just days after Putin travelled to New Delhi for the BRICS Summit, where he and PM Modi held bilateral talks on strengthening India-Russia ties, including cooperation in trade, energy, infrastructure, technology, defence and culture. The two leaders also reiterated their ambition to raise bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030.

BJP leaders and NDA allies mark Modi’s 76th birthday across India

Within the ruling alliance, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Railways and Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel were among those who greeted PM Modi.

NDA allies are also participating in events in Varanasi, Modi’s parliamentary constituency. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde are among the leaders associated with the celebrations.

The BJP has simultaneously launched the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, a month-long campaign running from September 17 to October 17, with service, welfare and public-outreach programmes.

Bollywood stars join political leaders in wishing PM Modi

The birthday messages are not confined to politics. Actors Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Jackie Shroff and Shilpa Shetty, along with Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej, shared birthday greetings for PM Modi. Kher also recalled his first meeting with the Prime Minister, while Kej highlighted PM Modi’s engagement with artists.

Veteran actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha had sent his birthday wishes a day early, sharing throwback photographs with Modi and explaining that he wanted his message to reach the Prime Minister before the expected flood of greetings.

Sportspersons have also joined in, with former cricketers and other prominent athletes extending their wishes.

Why Modi’s 76th birthday is also a political milestone

There is a larger anniversary behind the birthday celebrations. PM Modi is approaching 25 years in public office, a milestone the BJP is using as the backdrop for its month-long Seva Sankalp Abhiyan. In Varanasi, celebrations include public-service activities and a bike yatra linking his parliamentary constituency with Vadnagar in Gujarat, his birthplace.

At the same time, PM Modi’s birthday schedule in Delhi is focused on technology and industry. He is inaugurating the fifth edition of SEMICON India, where global semiconductor companies and Indian manufacturers are showcasing their capabilities.

So, on a day that begins with birthday greetings, the symbolism quickly gets bigger: a personal milestone sits alongside a quarter-century in executive office, a nationwide political outreach campaign and an event built around one of India’s most closely watched industrial ambitions.

For a Prime Minister who has spent much of his political career making his personal milestones part of a larger public narrative, September 17 is once again proving to be much more than a date on the calendar.

(With inputs from ANI)