Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s completion of 25 years as head of government on Wednesday drew congratulatory messages from leaders across the world, with Japan, Nigeria, Bhutan, the Philippines, Belgium, Nepal and Botswana among those highlighting his long political journey and India’s growing global profile.Modi began his uninterrupted tenure at the helm of a government on October 7, 2001, when he was sworn in as Gujarat Chief Minister. After more than 12 years in the state, he became Prime Minister in 2014 and has since led the country through three successive Lok Sabha victories.Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi congratulated Modi and praised his contribution to India’s development and its growing standing internationally. She said his political leadership since 2001 had accelerated India’s development and elevated the country’s prestige on the world stage.Referring to her visit to India in July, Takaichi said the two sides had discussed steps to take the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership to the next level. She also noted that next year would mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries and said she looked forward to working with Modi to advance a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay offered one of the most personal tributes, describing Modi as an “avatar of our times” and recalling a 2019 meeting in New Delhi when he told the Indian leader that he regarded him as an elder brother and “an avatar of Vishnu”.Tobgay said Modi had awakened among Indians a stronger belief in themselves and their country, making them prouder of India and more confident of its place in the world. He also linked India’s development aspirations with Bhutan’s, saying, “Viksit Bharat means Viksit Bhutan.”Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr congratulated Modi on his journey from Gujarat to leading the world’s largest democracy, crediting his leadership with an emphasis on good governance, innovation, technology, infrastructure and development.Marcos said India-Philippines relations continued to grow and looked forward to welcoming Modi to Manila for the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits in November.Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever described Modi’s 25 years as “continuous leadership in government, from Gujarat to New Delhi” and said he looked forward to further deepening the partnership between India and Belgium.Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu called the milestone “truly historic”, describing a quarter-century of uninterrupted leadership as a rare achievement in any democracy and a testament to the confidence placed in Modi by the Indian people.Tinubu said Modi had led with a commitment to development and recalled his 2024 visit to Abuja, which he said had given fresh impetus to cooperation between the two countries in trade and investment, energy, defence and security, health, education and technology. He also underlined India and Nigeria’s shared role as major voices of the Global South.Leaders from Nepal and Botswana also extended their greetings. Nepal wished Modi and his government continued success and prosperity, while Botswana President Duma Gideon Boko commended his dedication and service to the Indian people and expressed confidence in the enduring friendship between the two countries.The international tributes came a day after the Union Cabinet passed a resolution marking Modi’s 25 years of continuous leadership, describing it as an extraordinary political journey from Gujarat to the national stage. The resolution highlighted his governance initiatives, welfare programmes, economic reforms, technological expansion and foreign-policy initiatives.Modi, meanwhile, used the milestone to renew his call for building a Viksit Bharat by 2047, telling a gathering in New Delhi: “We will do it.” He said the significance of his 25-year journey should ultimately be judged not by where he stood but by where India stood.