In his 10th Independence Day address at the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted the people to pledge themselves in the task of nation building. Leading the country's 77th Independence Day celebrations, the PM also urged the people to actively participate in the transformation of the country during the remaining decades of ‘Amrit Kaal’.

As the country marches towards the 100th year of Independence in 2047, PM Modi wove a grand visual of the bright future that awaits India as it is blessed with three unique streams of factors —Demography, Democracy and Diversity — which were fuelling growth beyond the confines of big cities.

In a significant departure from decades old practice of addressing the people as ‘Pyare Deshvasiyon’ (Dear citizens) or ‘Bhayon aur Behno’ (Brothers and Sisters), PM Modi chose to adopt a more inclusive ‘Parviarjano’ (Family Members). The word also accommodates citizens residing overseas and the larger community of Indian diaspora who play a significant role in working for the country.

The nearly 100-minute address on the day, which brought PM Modi at par with his predecessor Dr. Manmohan Singh in equalling the number of times he spoke from the Ramparts of the Red Fort, was an essay in capturing the achievements of his work to script a different path of growth and a brighter future for the next generation.

Taking pride of having catapulted India as the fifth largest growing economy, from the 10th spot that it was when the Modi 1.0 Government assumed office in 2014, PM Modi chose to credit people’s immense faith in him to achieve what his government did. The PM also credited the people for the hard work that made all the difference. In his message to the youth, he reminded that today immense opportunities await to launch themselves. As a measure of this mood, the obvious reference was to start-ups and the number of Unicorns that have sprung in the country.

“In the coming five years, India will be in the top three economies. This is Modi’s guarantee”, the PM said to underscore the trust people placed in him and his work to deliver. The mood of the country was to leave behind the old way of thinking, setting sights on new objectives and working.

Yet, as the country embarked on its onward journey, PM Modi reminded that the country always pursued a human centric approach to development. The confidence with which India is marching ahead, there are no lingering doubts about its future, either in the minds of its people or the world.

Unlike the past when the PM took the opportunity to make a major announcement, this time he decided to remind the people it was time to wage a war against corruption, dynastic politics and appeasement and transform the country as a developed nation by 2047. The last time it was PM Inder Kumar Gujral who in 1997 emphatically declared it was time to battle corruption in the country. Modi promised to return to the podium in 2024 and present a report card on the progress.

Expressing his distress over the violence in Manipur and attacks on the dignity of women, PM Modi noted that people were maintaining peace for some time and asked the process to be carried forward.

The occasion was also important to pay respects to the brave sons and daughters of the country who fought valiantly to free the country from colonial rule. In fact, the PM said that in 1947, the country was freed of 1,000 years of subjugation of foreign rule and the Amrit Kaal should be the foundation for a thousand years of glory for India and Indians.

(Edited by : C H Unnikrishnan)

First Published:Aug 15, 2023 1:31 PM IST