Thus spoke PM Narendra
Modi from the Red Fort on Independence Day
I wanted to write earlier on the speech of PM Narendra Modi delivered from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the Independence on August 15 but some other events overtook, hence this delay. Nevertheless, I tend to say my mind on the subject. In a customary address every year, PM of India addresses the nation since
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independence in 1947. PM Modi spoke from the Red Fort for the 10th time ever since he took the reins of the county in 2014. Before coming to the content, message and crux of the speech, I must add that PM Narendra Modi certainly add colour to the ceremony – meticulously dressed in a traditional Kurta-Pyzama and every time wearing a new style of a colouful turban representing one region or the other. It goes without saying that he is one of the finest orators who can make his audience spell-bound – a Zaduvian Mukarar.
Such speeches ought to present and explain ‘State of the Nation’ and to be meaningful. The incumbent PM is expected to be a statesman who should take the people into confidence including the opposition without caring for the brownie points for narrow political agenda. It is a matter of gratification to note that since independence in 1947, India has come a long way in establishing herself as the largest
democracy of the world, one of the fastest growing economies, enjoying demographic advantage, one of the established and growing reservoirs of highly skilled manpower among other favorable attributes. We can safely say that ‘India has arrived but we are yet to go a long way to reach’. The challenges are heavy to remain on track – majoritarian approach, socio-economic inequality, growing political intolerance, growing communal chasm, corruption, political and constitutional immorality, institutional rot, weakening Checks and Balances on the organs of the state that is Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, eroding free and fair media are some of the points which offhand come to my mind. We need to ward off ourselves from these dangers to keep India that is Bharat on rails. It is incumbent on our leadership particularly the PM to uphold the healthy tradition of addressing the nation from the Red Fort to lead the ‘tryst with destiny’ on which we embarked upon on the early morning of August 15, 1947.
In this blog, I would try to capture the essence of the
speech of PM Narendra Modi delivered this year from the ramparts of the Red
Fort.
PM Narendra Modi or may be his speech writers
often come out with interesting acronyms which make the speech interesting and explanatory
to the general public. I mention here a few such expressions used in the speech
this year.
ü Deviating from the traditional format
of addressing the audience as Mere Pyare Deshvashio (dear citizens) or Bhaio
aur Behano (Brothers and sisters), PM Modi came with a new format as Mere Parivar Jano. PM Modi is a ‘astute
communicator with skills of deliberate wordplay’.
ü Urged to wage a war on “corruption, dynastic politics and
appeasement” – An often repeated assertion of PM Modi to castigate Congress
party. Corruption, to my mind is a national malady – Iss Hamam Mein Sab Nange
Hain, irrespective of the party. As regards dynastic politics, it is a fact of
public life of Nehru-Gandhi family, right from Moti Lal Nehru to Rahul or Priyanka, the family
has been fully involved in the freedom struggle and politics and governance of
the country’s politics. It does not, it seems, has any adverse effect on the
politics of the country. Coming to appeasement, it is clearly aimed to target
the minority community as a considered policy of the ruling right wing Hindu
outfits. The fact of the matter, to my mind, is that the currently ruling
dispensations themselves resort to the so called ‘appeasement’ of the majority
community to polarize the society for political gains. It is for the people to
understand these political machinations.
ü PM said that appeasement policies had
‘murdered and destroyed social justice’. He did not explain it how? Frankly I could not understand as to what he
wanted to say. The statement seems to be counter-productive and self
contradictory. I will be happy if someone can educate me on this.
ü PM named two major attributes of
nation building - unity and national
character, describing the latter as a
“catalytic agent in any nation's progress” – Of course, these are some of
the important attributes for the development and progress of the country and
the society at large as PM Modi himself asserted in the address that we should ‘Reform, Perform and Transform’ to make
India a ‘developed country ‘by 2047’,
the centenary year of free India. Let us admit that the much needed ‘unity’ is
under threat and divisive tendencies are getting strong. We are to arrest this
trend – the sooner the better. As regards national character, we are yet get
democratic and scientific temper and also just social order. We need to think
and shed ‘double talk’ on the caste ridden society and try every best to bring
about “Samrasta” as professed and propagated by RSS and BJP.
ü Stressed on the specific attributes
of the Indian reality – ‘Demography,
Democracy and Diversity’ – Yes, these are very important aspects of India’s
polity. We are set to be world’s largest populated country surpassing China.
Now it would be up to ‘we the people of India’ and our rulers to drive
‘demographic dividend’ out of the emerging situation or let the opportunity
slip with narrow political agenda. It has a direct bearing on the other two
that id Democracy and Diversity. Over the recent years, it has been observed
that our ‘democratic credentials’ are getting weakened with institutional rot,
constitutional immorality and divisive politics in the ground situation of
‘socio-economic inequality’. Diversity,
of course, is the fact of our socio-cultural life with multi-racial,
multi-lingual, multi-religious edifice. We are to maintain this as a secular
country as stipulated in the constitution of India. It could only be maintained
if the majority gives enough and credit-worthy assurances to the minorities and
give them due space not only in the polity but also in the socio-economic life
of our country – ‘United we stand and divided we fall’ is the catchword which
should guide us in the years to come without resorting to ‘camouflaged’
approaches.
tactical ploy to address the vote banks. There is no harm in this subtle approach. Buddha, of course, is the flag bearer of Indian tradition and culture.
ü Communl strife; particularly the
recent events of Manipur and Haryana, to my mind, should have got more attention
in the speech. Communalism is the biggest threat to the idea and spirit of
India that is Bharat. But, it seemed, it did not fit in the strategic thinking
of PM Modi. He chose to avail of the opportunity to take political advantage to
carry forward his or his party’s political agenda, unlike a statesman. Columnist Rajdeep Sardesai has raised a
question on this in an article in the Hindustan Times, “From the Red Fort, PM
Modi hinted dynastic politics, corruption and appeasement will be his three
weapons for 2024. But after nine years in power, will they work as well as they
did in 2014?” Only the time will tell.
our loyalty as Indians should be in the slightest way affected by any competitive loyalty whether that loyalty arises out of our religion, out of our culture or out of our language. I want all people to be Indians first, Indian last and nothing else but Indians.”
Chisti Ne Jis Zameen Pe Paigame Haq Suniya;
Nanak Ne Jis Chaman Mein Vehdat Ka Geet Gaya’
Mera Watan Wahi Hai, Mera Watan Wahi Hai
PM Modi can't address from Red Fort in ੨੦੨੪ as ੧੩ May Modi ਗਈ
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