Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed the nation on the 79th Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort, marking his 12th consecutive speech on the occasion and, by doing so, surpassing the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s record for the most successive speeches on August 15.
Narendra Modi first addressed the nation as Prime Minister from the Red Fort in 2014 and has now delivered a speech every year without a break, from 2014 to 2025.
Indira Gandhi had delivered 11 consecutive Independence Day addresses during her tenure, though she gave 16 in total across her time in office.
The milestone makes PM Modi the second Indian Prime Minister to deliver 12 Independence Day speeches in a row, after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who still has the most consecutive speeches delivered with 17 in total.
Wearing a saffron turban, PM Modi began his address by greeting the nation on its 79th Independence Day, reflecting on India’s progress over the past decades and laying out his government’s vision for a ‘Viksit Bharat’ while making the nation self-reliant.
He emphasised the importance of self-reliance under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, urging the youth, scientists, and government departments to focus on developing indigenous technologies.
He hailed the idea, with Operation Sindoor being an example of such self-reliance and the power of ‘Made in India’ being displayed.
The Prime Minister, in his address, reaffirmed his support to protect farmers, saying that he is “standing tall like a wall against policies which are against farmers interests.”
The remarks, made on the ramparts of Red Fort, come amid the US putting pressure on India to open up its agriculture market and subsequently putting on a 25 per cent additional tariff, with the western nation calling it a ‘penalty’ for buying Russian oil.
He also announced that the government is set to bring a major reform in the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which will give significant relief to the consumers and small businesses, calling for revisions in the GST to be rolled out around Diwali, describing them as a “double Diwali gift” for the people.
In his Independence Day speech, PM Modi also unveiled the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana (PM-VBRY) with an outlay of Rs 1 lakh crore. The scheme aims to provide 3.5 crore employment opportunities to the youth and offer them Rs 15,000 upon securing their first job. (ANI)
