Testament to determined action: French President Macron congratulates PM Modi on becoming India's longest-serving elected PM
Nice, June 14
During the inauguration of Bharat Innovates 2026, French President Emmanuel Macron formally congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on achieving a historic democratic milestone: becoming India's longest-serving continuously elected Prime Minister.
President Macron praised the milestone not just as a matter of tenure, but as a reflection of India's democratic strength and the Prime Minister's personal leadership. "It says a lot about your determined action, the strengths of your country, and it's wonderful," Macron remarked during the event.
On June 10, 2026, Prime Minister Modi reached 4,399 days of continuous service as an elected Prime Minister, surpassing the previous record of 4,398 days set by India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru (1952-1964). The achievement, which was formally recognised by a Union Cabinet resolution, reflects the Prime Minister's three consecutive national mandates and 12 years of leadership under the NDA government.
Beyond the political record, President Macron used the platform to reaffirm France's belief in India's capacity to lead global innovation. Macron defined India's "demographic dividend" not just as a large population, but as a productive advantage.
With a population of 1.4 billion and a massive annual output of over one million engineers, Macron emphasised that India's talent pool is now comparable to, and in some respects exceeding, the scale found in the US and Europe.
"So why is it obvious for France to believe in that capacity to innovate in India? Well, I would say to put it bluntly, you have the demographic dividends. What does it mean? So a country with 1.4 billion inhabitants, a country that pays for know-how and research, knowledge, and training as many engineers as Europe and the US, comes in more than one million per year. So in every respect, a country with research innovations and frontier models is spearheading global innovation," he said.
The President specifically lauded India's Chandrayaan-3 mission as a masterclass in efficiency and innovation. He noted that achieving the first-ever moon landing on the lunar south pole in "record time and record cost" served as a global demonstration of India's industrial and technological maturity.
Describing India as a major driver of technological advancement, Macron added, "In every respect, a country with research innovations and frontier models is spearheading global innovation."
The French President then turned to India's achievements in space exploration, singling out Chandrayaan-3 as an example of the country's growing influence in cutting-edge technologies. "If I only had to mention the one example of what you can do, airspace is the perfect example," Macron said.
"With the Chandrayaan 3 mission in July 2023, which allowed the very first moon landing on the south pole of the moon that was led in record time by ISRO with record cost, is a demonstration in terms of strengths, innovation, but also in terms of implementations at the industrial level," he added.
According to Macron, the success of the lunar mission has transformed international perceptions of India and underscored its role as a technology leader. It "has led many countries of the world to see what India how it's like today." Rejecting the notion that India is merely a hub for outsourced services, he said, "It's not only a country full of contractors. No, absolutely not."
He added, "It's a country of innovation and disrupting country in terms of technologies."
Chandrayaan-3 is the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) historic lunar mission that made India the fourth country to soft-land on the Moon and the first to reach its unexplored southern polar region. Launched on July 14, 2023, the spacecraft successfully landed on August 23, 2023.
— ANI
Reader Comments
While the recognition is nice, I think we need to keep things in perspective. Yes, Modi ji has been PM for a long time, but comparing him to Nehru is apples and oranges - different eras, different challenges. The real question is whether this long tenure has actually improved the lives of ordinary Indians. Let's focus on that instead of just milestones.
Macron's words about India being "not just a country of contractors" hit home! 🇮🇳 For too long, the world saw us as a back-office. Now we're leading in space, tech, and innovation. The 1 million engineers a year stat is mind-blowing - our demographic dividend is real if we invest in education and infrastructure. Proud to see France recognising this.
As someone who works in tech in Bangalore, I can confirm Macron is right about India's innovation potential. We're seeing amazing startups and R&D happening here. But let's be honest - we still have a long way to go in basic research and patent generation. The Chandrayaan success is fantastic, but we need sustained investment, not just political milestones. 🤔
Three consecutive mandates and 12 years of stable governance - that's what we need for development! 🏛️ Look at how India's global standing has risen under Modi ji. From Chandrayaan to G20 presidency, we're no longer a pushover. Macron's praise is well-deserved. Though I do wish the government would focus more on job creation for our youth.
Interesting to see this from a Western perspective. I work with Indian
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