PM Modi’s 75th birthday was marked by celebrations and reflections on his role in reshaping the BJP.
Criticism grew as ex-Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda, convicted in coal scam cases, was inducted into the BJP.
Dr. Munish Kumar Raizada questioned if the BJP was abandoning its core values of Chaal, Charitra, Chehra.
On 17 September 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated his 75th birthday, receiving wishes from BJP members, opposition leaders, and international figures. The occasion was not only celebratory but also reflective of his long political journey and legacy.
Over the years, Modi has reshaped the BJP into the central pole of Indian politics, embedding Hindutva into the nation’s political imagination. Unlike former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s softer, more inclusive approach, Modi has positioned the party as a dominant force, appealing strongly to rural youth and those who feel excluded from the elite class. His image as a self-made leader has further strengthened his bond with the masses.
On Modi’s birthday, Dr. Munish Kumar Raizada, President of the Bharatiya Liberal Party (BLP), wished the Prime Minister but at the same time he also raised suspicion that PM Modi and his party is moving away from the core values which they have always preached. Dr Raizada in his X post pointed out the joining of Madhu Koda—former Jharkhand Chief Minister who is facing serious corruption allegations—into the BJP in 2024. He asked whether the party had forgotten its core values of Chaal, Charitra, and Chehra (conduct, character, and image).
Who is Madhu Koda?
Madhu Koda is a well-known figure in Jharkhand politics. He served as Chief Minister of Jharkhand from 2006 to 2008. His political journey has been full of ups and downs. Beginning in 2000 with the All Jharkhand Students’ Union, he later joined the BJP and won from Jagannathpur on a BJP ticket in the 2000 Bihar election. After being denied a ticket by the BJP in 2005, Koda contested independently and won. In a surprising political move, he became Chief Minister in 2006 with support from the Congress, JMM, and RJD.
But his tenure soon ended. In 2009, Koda was arrested for alleged involvement in a massive mining scam and spent nearly 44 months in jail. Later, in 2017, he was convicted in a coal block allocation case and sentenced to three years in prison. Although the Delhi High Court stayed his sentence, the conviction still stands. The same year, the Election Commission disqualified Koda from contesting elections for three years for not filing poll expenses correctly in the 2009 elections.
In 2023, the Supreme Court rejected his request to suspend the conviction, ending his hopes of contesting elections. Despite this, Koda remains politically active, mainly through his wife, Geeta Koda, who has been a Lok Sabha MP.
The Coal Scam (Coalgate)
The coal scam, popularly known as Coalgate, shook the UPA-II government. Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda was convicted for the illegal allocation of a coal block in Jharkhand to Kolkata-based firms. One such case involved the Rajhara North coal block, allotted to Vini Iron and Steel Udyog Ltd (VISUL). Along with Koda, former Coal Secretary H.C. Gupta, former Jharkhand Chief Secretary A.K. Basu, and VISUL were found guilty of conspiring to favour the company, despite its earlier rejection by both state and central authorities.
The scam came to light in 2012 after a CAG report revealed a loss of around ₹1.86 lakh crore due to non-transparent coal block allocations between 1993 and 2010. The revelations triggered a major political uproar, with the BJP accusing the UPA-II government of corruption. Under pressure, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh even offered to resign if found guilty.
In 2014, the Supreme Court cancelled 214 coal block allocations, declaring the process “illegal.” Parliament later brought in new auction laws. Koda’s conviction soon became symbolic of corruption, and, ironically, the BJP had once strongly attacked him over the issue.
While Madhu Koda’s image suffered, his wife, Geeta Koda, kept the family’s political presence alive. Born in 1983, she entered politics in 2009, winning the Jagannathpur assembly seat. A decade later, she was elected to the Lok Sabha from Singhbhum and served as a Congress MP in 2019.
On 26 February 2024, she left the Congress and joined the BJP. For the party, her induction represents both an opportunity to strengthen its base in Jharkhand and a gamble, given her husband’s tainted record.
A Party of Contradictions?
This episode raises questions about the gap between the BJP’s anti-corruption rhetoric and its political practice. On one hand, Modi has built his career on promises of integrity, hard work, and a break from elite politics. On the other, his party faces criticism for accommodating leaders with tainted pasts, weakening its moral claims.
Congress leaders last year even called the BJP a political “washing machine,” where corrupt figures are welcomed and given a clean image. Leaders such as Ashok Chavan and Praful Patel, once accused of wrongdoing, have joined the BJP or its allies. Similarly, figures like Ajit Pawar and Himanta Biswa Sarma, once linked with corruption cases, are now prominent in BJP-led politics. And the names don’t end there—there are many more such figures in the BJP.
Modi’s 75th birthday was intended to celebrate his lasting influence and political strength, but it also raised questions. The widening gap between the BJP’s anti-corruption promises and its political actions is becoming increasingly hard to ignore. [Rh/VP]
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