Call it populist or spurred by genuine empathy for the poor, but the footsteps of the approaching assembly and Lok Sabha elections could be heard in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s fifth and final independence day speech of his current term from the ramparts of the Red Fort, which was replete with references to the poor and his government’s pro-poor policies.
Modi said it isn’t “power brokers” who roam the corridors of power in Delhi, and India’s capital city now reverberated with the voice of the “poor”. The PM spoke for 82-minutes, the second longest of his five independence day speeches, and detailed his government's efforts at improving the lives of the poor of India.
Expectedly, the PM also gave a report card of sorts of his government’s 51-months in office. Modi compared his government’s achievements to that of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance 2’s in 2013 – the last year in office of that government. In his recent interviews, the PM has criticised the Opposition for lacking vision and having coming together just to remove him. His speech from the Red Fort also had the subtext of how his government has been firm and decisive while UPA 2 was plagued with policy paralysis. The hint was clear enough that the mess could get repeated if a motley bunch of leaders and parties were to come to power in 2019.
As he painted a picture of a 'new India'' by 2022, the 75th year of India’s independence, and probably hoped that people would also share his dream by looking at next year's elections as a fait accompli, he himself clearly had his eyes set on the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and with his frequent use of the word garib, or poor, Modi also gave sufficient evidence to suggest he was wary of the unsettling memory of August 15, 2003.
That was the last occasion a prime minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stood at the ramparts of the Red Fort, months before elections to key north Indian states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and spoke of the development work carried out by his government. The BJP had then won in all three states, enthusing Atal Bihari Vajpayee to advance the Lok Sabha polls by six months. The rest as they say is history. Vajpayee government’s ‘India Shining’ campaign famously backfired and BJP remained out of power at the Centre for the next 10-years.
Modi clearly doesn't want to repeat the mistake and harped on his government's social welfare schemes for the poor. The PM, however, disappointed those of his core supporters, as well as detractors, who had expected him to deliver a polariaing or divisive speech in light of the controversy of the National Register of Citizens, or NRC, in Assam. He didn’t make any reference to the NRC, probably leaving it for the battleground of elections than the solemn occasion of the Independence Day.
ALSO READ: In pics: Glimpses of 72nd Independence Day celebrations from across India
The closest the PM came to raising an issue that is construed by some as ‘polarising’ was when he reiterated his government’s commitment to ensure justice for Muslim women by doing away with the practice of ‘triple talaq’, and how “some people” continued to oppose it during the just concluded Monsoon session of Parliament.
The big take away from the speech was the PM announcing the implementation of his government’s health insurance for all – the Ayushman Bharat scheme – to be launched in the entire country on September 25, the birth anniversary of BJP icon Deendayal Upadhyaya. Modi said the scheme will cover 100 million families, or 500 million people – the population of the US, Canada and Mexico or the entire continent of Europe.
Aware of the criticism that his government has faced over not doing enough to alleviate agrarian distress and towards delivering on its manifesto promise of generating jobs, Modi spoke about the steps taken by his government in these sectors.
He said his government has increased the minimum support price for farmers, and was using technology to achieve the objective of doubling of farm incomes by 2022.
On jobs, Modi spoke of how 130 million Mudra bank loans have fostered self-employment in several sectors. He said as many as 40 million have received any loan from a financial institution for the first time in their lives. Modi said 300,000 service centres in as many villages are being run by young people, and the health for all insurance scheme will encourage setting up of hospitals in Tier 2 and 3 cities, which in turn will generate jobs.
ALSO READ: From healthcare scheme to space mission: Highlights of PM's I-Day speech
Reaching out to women, the PM said the evil of rapes and crimes against women needed to be uprooted. He said recently fast track courts in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have given death sentences to perpetrators within days, and such news needed to be spread far and wide to deter people from committing such crimes. Modi announced a “gift” for women officers serving short service commissions in the Indian Army. He said they can now apply for permanent commissions. Modi said there were now three women judges in the Supreme Court, or so many women have never been part of any union council of ministers as were in the one he leads.
Modi said his government has reduced red tape and nepotism, ushering in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and indicated his government will soon reach out to the upset MSME sector. He said an Indian would be sent in space with a tricolour in hand by 2022 or earlier, the 75th year of independence.
The PM referred to the gram swaraj abhiyan that has covered 65,000 villages in 117 aspirational districts by ensuring delivery of seven government schemes and the money saved by using technology. Reaching out to the “honest taxpayers” of the country, Modi said it was thanks to each taxpayer that three families of poor get subsidised food.
Modi said the country is celebrating the festival of honesty since 2014. He said the number of direct taxpayers has increased from 40 million in 2013 to 67.5 million now. He said in the 70 years since independence people in the indirect tax net were 7 million, which in one year after the implementation of Goods and Services Tax has increased to 11.6 million.
The PM also spoke at some length about his government’s development works in the northeastern states and the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, or AFSPA, from Tripura, Meghalaya and some parts of Arunachal Pradesh. The Northeastern states elect 25 members to the Lok Sabha, and the BJP is hopeful of winning majority of those seats, along with its allies, to compensate for some of the losses that it is likely to suffer in the Hindi speaking states.
The PM spoke of his government’s commitment to Vajpayee’s tenets of preserving democracy and Kashmiriyat in Jammu and Kashmir, and said panchayat and urban local body elections would be held in the state this year so that the money from the Centre directly reaches villages.
Modi said he was besabra, bechain, vyakul, vyagra, adheer and aatur, or impatient, worried and keen that India surpasses the countries who have marched ahead, that there is an end to malnourishment among children of the country, the poor get health insurance cover, and that India witnesses the fourth industrial revolution.
As the PM wrapped up his speech, he said his government was committed to delivering “housing for all, power for all, water for all, sanitation for all, skill for all, health for all, insurance for all and connectivity for all”.
Modi said it isn’t “power brokers” who roam the corridors of power in Delhi, and India’s capital city now reverberated with the voice of the “poor”. The PM spoke for 82-minutes, the second longest of his five independence day speeches, and detailed his government's efforts at improving the lives of the poor of India.
Expectedly, the PM also gave a report card of sorts of his government’s 51-months in office. Modi compared his government’s achievements to that of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance 2’s in 2013 – the last year in office of that government. In his recent interviews, the PM has criticised the Opposition for lacking vision and having coming together just to remove him. His speech from the Red Fort also had the subtext of how his government has been firm and decisive while UPA 2 was plagued with policy paralysis. The hint was clear enough that the mess could get repeated if a motley bunch of leaders and parties were to come to power in 2019.
As he painted a picture of a 'new India'' by 2022, the 75th year of India’s independence, and probably hoped that people would also share his dream by looking at next year's elections as a fait accompli, he himself clearly had his eyes set on the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and with his frequent use of the word garib, or poor, Modi also gave sufficient evidence to suggest he was wary of the unsettling memory of August 15, 2003.
That was the last occasion a prime minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stood at the ramparts of the Red Fort, months before elections to key north Indian states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and spoke of the development work carried out by his government. The BJP had then won in all three states, enthusing Atal Bihari Vajpayee to advance the Lok Sabha polls by six months. The rest as they say is history. Vajpayee government’s ‘India Shining’ campaign famously backfired and BJP remained out of power at the Centre for the next 10-years.
Modi clearly doesn't want to repeat the mistake and harped on his government's social welfare schemes for the poor. The PM, however, disappointed those of his core supporters, as well as detractors, who had expected him to deliver a polariaing or divisive speech in light of the controversy of the National Register of Citizens, or NRC, in Assam. He didn’t make any reference to the NRC, probably leaving it for the battleground of elections than the solemn occasion of the Independence Day.
ALSO READ: In pics: Glimpses of 72nd Independence Day celebrations from across India
The closest the PM came to raising an issue that is construed by some as ‘polarising’ was when he reiterated his government’s commitment to ensure justice for Muslim women by doing away with the practice of ‘triple talaq’, and how “some people” continued to oppose it during the just concluded Monsoon session of Parliament.
The big take away from the speech was the PM announcing the implementation of his government’s health insurance for all – the Ayushman Bharat scheme – to be launched in the entire country on September 25, the birth anniversary of BJP icon Deendayal Upadhyaya. Modi said the scheme will cover 100 million families, or 500 million people – the population of the US, Canada and Mexico or the entire continent of Europe.
Aware of the criticism that his government has faced over not doing enough to alleviate agrarian distress and towards delivering on its manifesto promise of generating jobs, Modi spoke about the steps taken by his government in these sectors.
He said his government has increased the minimum support price for farmers, and was using technology to achieve the objective of doubling of farm incomes by 2022.
On jobs, Modi spoke of how 130 million Mudra bank loans have fostered self-employment in several sectors. He said as many as 40 million have received any loan from a financial institution for the first time in their lives. Modi said 300,000 service centres in as many villages are being run by young people, and the health for all insurance scheme will encourage setting up of hospitals in Tier 2 and 3 cities, which in turn will generate jobs.
ALSO READ: From healthcare scheme to space mission: Highlights of PM's I-Day speech
Reaching out to women, the PM said the evil of rapes and crimes against women needed to be uprooted. He said recently fast track courts in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have given death sentences to perpetrators within days, and such news needed to be spread far and wide to deter people from committing such crimes. Modi announced a “gift” for women officers serving short service commissions in the Indian Army. He said they can now apply for permanent commissions. Modi said there were now three women judges in the Supreme Court, or so many women have never been part of any union council of ministers as were in the one he leads.
Modi said his government has reduced red tape and nepotism, ushering in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and indicated his government will soon reach out to the upset MSME sector. He said an Indian would be sent in space with a tricolour in hand by 2022 or earlier, the 75th year of independence.
The PM referred to the gram swaraj abhiyan that has covered 65,000 villages in 117 aspirational districts by ensuring delivery of seven government schemes and the money saved by using technology. Reaching out to the “honest taxpayers” of the country, Modi said it was thanks to each taxpayer that three families of poor get subsidised food.
Modi said the country is celebrating the festival of honesty since 2014. He said the number of direct taxpayers has increased from 40 million in 2013 to 67.5 million now. He said in the 70 years since independence people in the indirect tax net were 7 million, which in one year after the implementation of Goods and Services Tax has increased to 11.6 million.
The PM also spoke at some length about his government’s development works in the northeastern states and the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, or AFSPA, from Tripura, Meghalaya and some parts of Arunachal Pradesh. The Northeastern states elect 25 members to the Lok Sabha, and the BJP is hopeful of winning majority of those seats, along with its allies, to compensate for some of the losses that it is likely to suffer in the Hindi speaking states.
The PM spoke of his government’s commitment to Vajpayee’s tenets of preserving democracy and Kashmiriyat in Jammu and Kashmir, and said panchayat and urban local body elections would be held in the state this year so that the money from the Centre directly reaches villages.
Modi said he was besabra, bechain, vyakul, vyagra, adheer and aatur, or impatient, worried and keen that India surpasses the countries who have marched ahead, that there is an end to malnourishment among children of the country, the poor get health insurance cover, and that India witnesses the fourth industrial revolution.
As the PM wrapped up his speech, he said his government was committed to delivering “housing for all, power for all, water for all, sanitation for all, skill for all, health for all, insurance for all and connectivity for all”.
