Delivering his 10th consecutive Independence Day speech, and the last before 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit all the right political notes at the Red Fort on Tuesday.
Donning a Bandhej Safa headgear from Rajasthan, which goes to polls later this year, PM Modi’s 90-minute speech was peppered with five political messages and a prediction — that he will return to the ruins of the Mughal-era fort same time next year.
Here’s a look at the key takeaways from PM Modi’s Independence Day 2023 speech:
WOMEN-LED DEVELOPMENT & MANIPUR
The Prime Minister opened his speech with an ode to freedom fighters and within minutes touched upon the situation in Manipur. Expressing anguish at the crimes against women in the state, a reference to the viral video of two Kuki women being paraded naked by a mob, the PM said the entire nation stands with Manipur. He assured that peace is returning to the north-eastern state.
Highlighting the importance of women in society, he also pointed at the women-led development witnessed in the country in last five years. He mentioned how girls are outperforming boys academically in STEM and announced the formation of 15,000 women self-help groups in the near future.
He added that it is his dream to empower 2 crore women entrepreneurs. “The one thing that will take the country forward is women-led development. Today, we can proudly say that India has the maximum number of pilots in civil aviation. Women scientists are leading the Chandrayaan mission,” he said. In last year’s speech, too, the PM had asked Indians to “respect women” and “support nari Shakti”.
BLOW TO TERRORISM
In his speech, PM Modi said the era of serial blasts and terrorism are long gone, referring to a spate of terrorist attacks, including 26/11, that rocked the Congress-led UPA regime.
Referring to 140 crore Indians as his parivarjan, or family members, the PM said: “My dear family members, we used to hear about incidents of bomb blasts every now and then. There used to be announcements alerting people about possible bomb scares. There used to be a warning written stating ‘do not touch this bag’ etc… When a country is secure, it makes steadfast progress. The days of serial bombing are now over.”
According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), as many as 663 Indians were killed in terror attacks between 2005 and 2008 outside Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and the Northeast. From the 2008 Ahmedabad bomb blast to the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, the UPA regime’s timeline is dotted with such incidents. Even during campaigning for the 2014 General Elections, a bomb had exploded just before Narendra Modi’s rally in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan.
CURBING CORRUPTION
A key political message in the Prime Minister’s speech was the 180-degree shift from the days of corruption and scams hogging the headlines. “It is the commitment of my life to keep fighting against corruption,” he announced. Calling it one of the three “evils”, Modi said it is India’s collective responsibility to promote “suchita (probity), pardarshita (transparency), and nishpakshta (objectivity)” to develop India.
He highlighted the steps against corruption taken by his government. “My government weeded out 10 crore fake beneficiaries of welfare schemes, and seizure of ill-gotten assets rose by 20 times,” he said. “This is an India that is full of self-confidence… Ye Bharat na rukta hai, na thakta hai, na haanfta hai aur na hi haarta hai (This India doesn’t stop, doesn’t tire, doesn’t pant and doesn’t lose).”
‘OF, BY AND FOR THE FAMILY’
The Prime Minister also made a strong pitch against nepotism and dynasty politics, calling it the second evil. Urging India to get rid of dynastic politics, Modi targeted “few political parties” whose mantra, he said, was “party of the family, by the family and for the family”.
“Today, parivarvaad (dynasty politics) and appeasement have destroyed our country. How can a political party have only one family in charge?” he asked.
While PM Modi did not mention any political party by name, he as on numerous occasions pointed to the tight grip the Gandhi family has on the Congress. Interestingly, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge gave the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort a miss, with the public broadcaster panning to his empty chair.
The PM had made a similar pitch a few days ago on the 81st anniversary of the Quit India movement. “Inspired by the Quit India Movement, the entire country is now roaring Quit India against every evil, saying ‘corruption, quit India’, ‘dynasty, quit India’, ‘appeasement, quit India’.”
ANTI-APPEASEMENT
Modi’s final political blow to the opposition this Independence Day was the issue of ‘tushtikaran ki rajneeti’ or appeasement politics. Calling it the third evil, the PM said: “The third evil is appeasement which has left a blot on the national character… I firmly believe that when the country will celebrate 100 years of freedom in 2047, the nation would be a developed India. I say this on the basis of the capability of my country and available resources. But the need of the hour is to fight three evils — corruption, dynasty, and appeasement.”
The PM ended his last Independence Day speech before General Elections next year with a promise to return to the Red Fort next year to hoist the Tricolour.
Shifting gears, Modi shared a vision for the next 25 years and concluded his speech with a guarantee. “It is Modi’s guarantee that India will be among the top three economies in the world in the next five years,” he said.
Summing up his nine years in power, the PM said it was ‘parivartan’ (change) that drove him in 2014 and ‘performance’ in 2019, but it is his vision for 2047 that will drive his next tenure, reflecting his confidence at a BJP win next year.