New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed the nation from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort on India’s 78th Independence Day and presented the “blue print” for ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ highlighting his government’s political will to execute hard decisions and reforms to make this a reality.
“Viksit Bharat 2047” are not mere words. This is not for an intellectual debate, it is a reflection of the resolve and dream of 140 crore Indians,” Modi said while speaking on a gamut of issues ranging from political and economic reforms, One Nation One Election, foreign policy in the wake of recent developments in neighbouring Bangladesh and infusing fresh blood in politics.
“Our government is committed to taking up big reforms,’ he said adding “Since my re-election for a third term, the majority of people seeking to meet me are big investors. They are keen to invest in India. I urge all states to establish clear, investor-friendly policies and ensure a strong commitment to good governance, transparency, and robust law and order.”
States must compete among themselves to bring investments and must ensure by making strong policies that all these big investors who come to India never go back, he said
Modi’s first Independence Day address in his third term takes him past Manmohan Singh, who unfurled the Tricolour 10 times from the ramparts of Red Fort during 2004-2014. India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi are ahead of him, having done the honour 17 and 16 times respectively.
Taking a dig at “dynastic politics”, Modi called upon youths to come forward and contribute to nation-building and be part of Viksit Bharat 2047.
“I call upon to bring 1 lakh youth into the political system, specifically those with no history of politics in their families. This initiative was aimed at fighting the evils of nepotism and casteism and inducting fresh blood into India’s polity,” Modi said.
“We want to infuse fresh blood in politics so that we get rid of dynastic politics or politics of caste,” he added.
Modi started his address by paying rich tributes to the countless people who made sacrifices and struggled for the country’s freedom. “The country is indebted to them,” he said.
He expressed concern over rising natural calamities and their impact on the people. The surge in cases of such disasters is a matter of concern, he said and paid condolences to families who lost their loved ones in recent national disasters.
Speaking on One Natio -One Election, Modi called upon all political parties and constitutional experts to come forward and deliberate on this. Recurring elections hinder the path of development. Extensive and widespread discussion has taken place in this direction and “we must work on it with sincerity”, he said.
Expressing concern over recent developments in Bangladesh, the Prime Minister said India hopes the situation will be normal very soon there and India will always be with the development journey of Bangladesh.
“India’s concern is to ensure the safety of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. India is committed towards the policy of peace and we always want our neighbouring countries to walk the path of prosperity and peace,” he said.
He also talked tough about heinous crimes happening against women and asked the state governments to give exemplary punishment to all culprits. “I call upon the state governments to take tough action against the culprits in rape cases… there is a need to create fear among the criminals for such crimes.”
He also said when such a heinous crime takes place there is a lot of discussion in the media, but when an action is taken against culprits it is hardly given any publicity which is a must to create fear among culprits.
On the longstanding issue of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Prime Minister Modi made a compelling case for a UCC stating “It is the need of the hour to have a secular civil code and do away with discriminatory communal civil code.” He said that the laws which divide the society should be abolished.
He ended his 90-minute-long address by saying in his third term he ill work “three times more” and assured the nation stating “We shall work 24×7 to make Viksit Bharat by 2047 a reality.”
