'I am a BJP worker, Nitin Nabin my boss': PM welcomes new BJP president

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday described newly elected BJP president Nitin Nabin as his boss, framing "infiltration and urban naxalism" as two top challenges confronting the country.

"You will think Modi is a third term PM, became CM at 50 years, has been head of government for 25 years but all these things are secondary. My greatest pride is -- I am a BJP worker and Nitin Nabin ji is my boss," PM said as he welcomed the new chief on stage while participating in the ceremony that marked the transition from JP Nadda to a younger party president.

Speaking in the presence of a galaxy of BJP leaders -- CMs, party chiefs, organisational stalwarts -- Modi called Nabin a millennial who can best articulate and represent the aspirations of the youth.

"Nitin ji in one way is a millennial. He is from a generation, which has seen technological changes. He has seen the era of radio and is also an AI user. He has youthful energy and fine organisational skills which will be of great value to us," Modi said referring to 2026 being the 75 year of the establishment of Jana Sangh, the precursor of BJP.

In an important message, Modi said Nabin's twin responsibilities would include managing the world's largest political party and ensuring coordination between the ruling NDA-alliance partners.

While listing the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K and the criminalisation of triple talaq as the high points of his 11 year rule, Modi said going forward illegal immigration and urban naxalism were the top challenges facing India.

The PM reiterated that his government would not tolerate infiltrators in India.

"We have to face the challenges of the future with all our might. The biggest challenge is demographic imbalance and infiltration. World's richest nations are now identifying illegal immigrants and deporting them and the world does not ask them why they are ousting the aliens and does not flag the democratic credentials of such nations when deportations happen. No nation tolerates infiltrators in its land. India will also not let infiltrators snatch the rights of its poor and youth. They are a major threat to national security. It is very important to identify and deport them," Modi said.

In a veiled attack on Congress and INDIA bloc parties including the TMC, Modi said the BJP will have to fully expose political parties which are trying to save infiltrators in the garb of vote bank politics

The PM called urban naxals another big challenge.

"The expanse of urban naxals is very wide. Urban naxals had dubbed the BJP an untouchable but India has now seen through this," he said.

Earlier in his speech Modi thanked all past presidents of the BJP for nurturing the party and always staying the ideological course notwithstanding struggles.

He said in the past 11 years BJP had formed governments on its own in Haryana, Assam Tripura and Odisha.

Confident of BJP's win in the 2026 Kerala polls, the PM spoke of the party's electoral spread.

"In Bengal and Telangana we have become the voice of the people. Normally anti incumbency is a trend but we have upended this. In Gujarat, MP, Maharashtra, Bihar, the BJP has returned to power with greater mandates than before.

In the last two years people's confidence in BJP has grown. Be it state assemblies or local bodies, BJP's strike rate has been extraordinary. Six states have had state polls in these 11 years and BJP, NDA allies have won four. BJP is now the first choice of people from Parliament to local civic bodies," Modi said referring to Maharashtra where the BJP emerged the largest party in 25 of 29 municipal corporations with 50 per cent of all winning corporators from the BJP.

Modi also mentioned Kerala where the BJP now has 100 wards.

"In Kerala's capital after 45 years, citizens denied power to the Left and trusted BJP in the municipal corporation of Thiruvananthapuram," he said, adding that the BJP was a value system where relationships mattered more than membership and processes were more important than posts.

"In our party presidents change but not values, leaderships change but not direction. BJP's outlook is national because our roots are deep and connections local. BJP gives wings to regional aspirations and makes them the basis for national aspirations.

That is the reason that people are aligning with us. Those who wish to enter politics also find the BJP the most efficient and suitable medium," he said referring to his government's schemes to provide basic services to the people, from water and LPG to houses and financial inclusion.