New Delhi [India], June 10 (ANI): Former President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 12-year tenure as the 'watershed period for India since Independence,' lauding the current government for countering the 'inferiority' instilled by the colonial rule.

PM Modi has officially become India's longest continuously serving Prime Minister, crossing the 4,399-day milestone in office. He has surpassed former PM Jawaharlal Nehru's record of 4,398 consecutive days served after the first general election.

Kovind praised PM Modi for representing India as the 'mother of democracy' at the global stage, while criticising the Nehruvian period for allegedly perpetuating the ideas of Thomas Macaulay.

'June 10, 2026, marks a special occasion in the history of India after Independence. On that date, Prime Minister Narendra Modi surpassed Jawaharlal Nehru to become the longest continuously serving democratically elected PM of India. Though a historic landmark in itself, PM Modi's being a tenure longer than that of Nehru does not capture the more important dimensions of what may be called the watershed period for India since Independence,' Kovind wrote in a column in Hindustan Times.

'...Elements of parliamentary democracy were to be found in the Buddhist institutions dating back 2,500 years and that those Buddhist institutions would have adopted democratic practices from the then prevalent political institutions, our students and jurists were made to believe that we owed our democracy to western countries,' he added stating that PM Modi has asserted that 'India is the mother of democracy, referring to the ancient Indian democratic ethos and practices.'

He termed the 'trust with the people' as a success of PM Modi, stating that his approval ratings have remained consistently high compared with former PM Nehru, who had witnessed 'erosion in his stature and popularity during his tenure.'

Claiming a 'lack of self-pride' in Indian heritage during Pandit Nehru's tenure, Kovind said that PM Modi has 'front-staged Indian languages, systems, symbols, and belief systems,' and lauded his appeal for a 10-year pledge to shed the 'colonial mindset rooted in Macaulay's legacy.'

Similarly, penning a piece in the Indian Express, former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recalled how his and PM Modi's idea of politics was shaped by the period of Emergency. He also noted that PM Modi's journey to the top office shed the notion that the higher posts were reserved for privileged individuals.

Nitish Kumar wrote, 'Although we come from different parts of India, PM Modi and I belong to a generation whose political consciousness was shaped by the Emergency. We witnessed first-hand the assault on democratic freedoms and participated in the movement that sought to restore them.'

'For decades, there was a perception that the highest offices were reserved for a privileged few or those born into influential political families. PM Modi's journey has challenged that notion.' He termed him a source of inspiration for young Indians from modest backgrounds.

Owing to the ideas of socialism, the JD(U) chief lauded PM Modi for a 'sharp focus on poverty eradication... toilets, bank accounts, houses, gas connections, tap water, health insurance coverage and many other basic necessities.' He also took a note of the work done for the Scheduled Tribes and women.

Meanwhile, on completing 12 years in the office, PM Modi is scheduled to chair an NDA meeting, and the agenda is packed with a review of flagship schemes and infrastructure projects to ensure benefits reach the last mile, a stocktake of the 'Viksit Bharat' roadmap for 2047, discussion on the West Asia crisis, a source said. (ANI)