‘Purpose of power is to serve': PM Modi invokes ‘Ram Rajya’ as good governance model at Delhi Dussehra celebrations

“Ram Rajya” is presented as a governance ideal based on justice, equality and service. It means that citizens should face no discrimination and receive equal opportunities. The model also gives special priority to poor and disadvantaged people. Its importance lies in defining government as a responsibility toward society, not simply as authority over it.

PM Modi said public power should serve people rather than rule over them. He placed citizens at the centre of policymaking and described public service as a fundamental responsibility. In this view, fair treatment and welfare are practical tests of good administration.

The idea was discussed during Vijayadashami celebrations at DDA Utsav Ground in New Delhi. Modi connected Lord Ram’s ideals with public administration and national development. He urged political parties and institutions to work in the national interest, suggesting that these principles should shape collective action and government priorities.

PM Modi described political power as a means of serving citizens, rather than controlling or ruling over them. He linked this purpose to a broader governance model centred on justice, equality and public welfare. The message matters because it treats authority as an obligation to the public, especially people who are poor or disadvantaged.

He said citizens should be at the centre of policymaking. He also called public service a fundamental responsibility. Together, these ideas place the needs of people ahead of the interests of those holding office. They connect administrative decisions with equal treatment, justice and access to opportunities.

The remarks came during Vijayadashami celebrations in New Delhi, where Modi invoked Lord Ram’s ideals. He also called on political parties and national institutions to work together in the national interest. The article does not describe a specific new policy, but presents service-oriented governance as a guiding model.

Dussehra, or Vijayadashami, traditionally represents the victory of truth over falsehood and the defeat of tyranny. In the article, PM Modi connected this meaning with Lord Ram’s ideals and India’s continuing cultural traditions. The festival therefore carries both a religious and a moral message about resisting injustice and affirming truth.

Modi pointed to Ramleelas staged across the country as a way of keeping Lord Ram’s ideals alive. He said these traditions help preserve the belief in the eventual end of tyranny and terror. The celebrations express the story’s central contrast: truth overcoming falsehood and justice defeating oppressive power.

He made these remarks at Vijayadashami celebrations at the DDA Utsav Ground in IP Extension, New Delhi. He said every corner of India was immersed in Ram during the occasion. The article presents Dussehra’s meaning as an enduring part of India’s philosophical and cultural traditions.

PM Modi said more than 650 ancient idols had been brought back to India over the past 12 years. He presented their return as part of an effort to restore cultural heritage. The figure was used to highlight the recovery of treasures that, he said, had been looted and taken abroad over centuries.

The idols were not discussed only as recovered objects. Modi connected them with national identity and self-respect. He said heritage plays an important role in shaping how a nation understands itself. He also said India was giving its cultural centres a new identity on the world stage.

The statement came during Vijayadashami celebrations in New Delhi. The article does not identify the individual idols, their countries of return or the agencies involved. It records the broader claim that their repatriation strengthens recognition of India’s cultural centres and restores parts of the country’s heritage.

PM Modi used the construction of the bridge to Lanka as an example of how determination and public participation can overcome seemingly impossible challenges. The example supported his wider call for India to trust its own capabilities and face development goals with confidence. Its core message was that resolve must be matched by collective effort.

In the comparison, unwavering determination provides direction, while people’s participation supplies shared strength. Modi said the episode showed how difficult objectives could be achieved when society works together. He also urged India to rely on its own resources and capabilities instead of allowing challenges to weaken its ambitions.

The remarks formed part of his Vijayadashami address in New Delhi. He connected the example to India’s development goals and called on political parties and national institutions to cooperate in the national interest. He also urged collective action against forces he said harm the country or divide society.

When governments place citizens at the centre of policymaking, public decisions are expected to focus on people’s needs rather than the power of officials. In PM Modi’s description, this approach supports justice, equal opportunities and fair treatment without discrimination. It also makes the welfare of poor and disadvantaged people a stated priority.

The key mechanism is service-oriented administration. Public power is used to serve citizens, while public service becomes a fundamental responsibility. Policies are therefore judged by whether they respond to citizens and extend fairness, rather than simply by whether authorities exercise control. The article presents this as part of the ideal of Ram Rajya.

The article does not provide specific policy outcomes or measurements from this approach. It does show the direction Modi advocated during Vijayadashami: citizen-focused policymaking, concern for disadvantaged groups and cooperation among institutions. If applied consistently, these principles would make inclusion and welfare central considerations in governance.

The article invokes justice, equality and equal opportunity as ideals of “Ram Rajya,” but it does not explain India’s constitutional machinery. In India’s constitutional democracy, these principles are expressed through constitutional rights, laws and government duties. They matter because ideals become meaningful when institutions can apply them and citizens can challenge unfair treatment.

Elected legislatures make laws, while governments implement them through public institutions. Courts interpret constitutional provisions and can review government action. Independent public bodies, elections and administrative systems also help translate equality and justice into everyday governance. These mechanisms create standards for public power and provide ways to seek remedies.

This constitutional explanation uses established knowledge beyond the article. The article itself focuses on citizen-centred policymaking, service, equal treatment and welfare for disadvantaged people. Its broader implication is that public institutions should put those values into practice, while constitutional democracy supplies the legal framework and accountability mechanisms for doing so.