Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Monday and congratulated the country on the 76th Independence Day. Hepaid respects to those who worked tirelessly to help the country get independence. "Today is the occasion to remember every freedom fighter who sacrificed their lives for India's freedom," Modi said. He also said that without 'narishakti' or the power of women, India wouldn't have been able to get independence.
Modi called on the people of the country to become resolute in their efforts to turn India into a developed country. He also said that it was unity in diversity that helped India overcome all hurdles.
As India celebrates 75 years of Independence, Modi made a speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort in New Delhi, as is tradition every year. The prime minister reached the Red Fort after paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the prime minister's speech:
Respects to 'mahapurush': Modi said that India must honour the icons of independence who have been ignored by history. "We must pay respects to those who gave their lives up for the sake of the country, be it Rajendra Prasad, Nehru ji, Sardar Patel, or SP Mookerjee, LB Shastri, Deendayal Upadhyaya, JP Narayan, RM Lohia, Vinoba Bhave, Nanaji Deshmukh, Subramania Bharati, today is the the day to bow before such great people."
Narishakti: The prime minister said that India's 'narishakti' or women's power propelled the revolution against the British during their rule. "Indians are filled with pride when they remember the strength and efforts of women like Rani Lakshmibai, Durga Bhabhi, Jhalkari Bai and Chennamma." He said that these revolutionary women shook the pillars of the British rule.
He said that India's narishakti was seen in the field of sports, to defence and to other areas. "The more opportunities we give our daughters, they will return it to the country multifold." He said that if can use the power of women, the country will advance faster.
Overcoming hurdles: Modi said that India kept growing despite several hurdles on it's path of growth. He said, "India has seen a lot of ups and downs in the past 75 years of Independence. We had to face natural calamities, wars, terrorism, and other problems. But unity in diversity became our guiding power."
Developed Nation: Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Indians to make a resolution to turn India into a developed country. "When the resolution was strong we even achieved independence. And in the next 25 years, we have to build an advanced India. We have to be resolute in our efforts to turn our country into a developed one," he said.
Gender equality and women empowerment: Modi said that unity has to reflect even inside the home. "Son and daughters have to be treated the same unless we think of gender equality," he said. Making a pitch for women's empowerment, he said that we must respect women to develop as a country.
Global warming: The prime minister also addressed global warming and said India had the power to fight it because of our traditional lifestyle. "We are people who love nature. We know how to live with nature. As people speak of global warming, we have the capability to fight climate change and global warming. This lifestyle has been given to us by our ancestors."
Competitive federalism: Thanking the makers of the constitution of India Modi said that "our jobs and tenures may be diverse but our resolution must be united".
"When I was in Gujarat, my goal was the development of Gujarat for the development of the country," he said. Modi called for competitive federalism, where each state must try to look at each other and participate in healthy competition.
Corruption and nepotism: Modi said that while some people had no place to live, others did not have enough places to store their stolen goods. "We have to fight this with all our strength," Modi said.
Speaking of nepotism, Modi said not just politics, but other sectors too were being destroyed by it. "Talented people don't get opportunities because of nepotism. Corruption also takes place because of this."
Criticising 'parivarvadi rajneeti' Modi said, "We have to clean the politics and organisations of the country of nepotism. I want your assistance in doing this. This is a constitutional responsibility."