Birthday wishes pour in for Modi, led by Putin, Netanyahu and Trump

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not have asked for a better 75th birthday.

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Birthday wishes poured in from everywhere and even showed up on a billboard in New York’s Times Square.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu each sent a video message to mark the Indian leader’s birthday on Sept 17.

Not to be outdone, US President Donald Trump personally called Mr Modi to extend birthday wishes and even praised the Indian leader on social media for “doing a tremendous job”.

With the hashtag #MyModiStory, social media and Indian media outlets were also awash with congratulations and tributes from Indians at home and abroad from all walks of life, expressing the impact Mr Modi has had on their lives.

“The congratulatory and overly effusive Indian media coverage is clearly an attempt to shore up Modi’s image at home and overseas,” said Professor Rohit Chopra of Santa Clara University in the US.

It has been a challenging 2025 for Mr Modi.

Ties with the US soured after the Trump administration slapped 50 per cent tariffs on India’s exports to the world’s largest economy.

His domestic political opponents have assailed him for mismanaging India’s foreign policy.