PM’s longest Independence Day speech: Calling for self-reliance, Modi promises reforms, warns against infiltration threat

Amid the shadow of the US-imposed tariffs which could impact the economy, Modi put a lot of stress on self-reliance in all spheres – from defence, space sector, critical minerals, energy, semiconductors to fertiliser, pharmaceutical production and from operating systems to cyber security, deep tech to artificial intelligence – saying “the bedrock of a Viksit Bharat is also a self-reliant Bharat” and “the greater a nation’s reliance on others, the more its freedom comes into question”. He asked influencers to spread the message of “vocal for local” and urged traders to display boards at their shops announcing that they sell Swadeshi products.

“Self-reliance is not confined merely to imports and exports, or to rupees, pounds, and dollars. Its meaning is not so limited. Self-reliance is linked to our capability, and when self-reliance begins to diminish, capability too continually declines. Therefore, to preserve, maintain, and enhance our capability, it is imperative to be self-reliant,” he said, noting that dependency on others is a habit that is fraught with danger.

“Today, when economic self-interest is growing across the globe, the demand of the hour is that we must not sit lamenting over crises. With courage, we must strive to enhance our own strength and standing. And from my 25 years of administrative experience, I can say this: If we choose this path, and if everyone chooses it, then no self-interest will be able to entrap us,” he said.

“I say to the youth of the nation: Bring forward your innovative ideas, do not let your ideas die. Today’s ideas could shape the future of generations to come. I stand with you. I am ready to work for you. I am ready to be your partner in this journey…To the youth who are thinking about manufacturing, come and take the lead. Tell me, if we need to change government rules. The country does not want to stop now,” he said.

Modi said his government has decided to set up a task force for undertaking next generation reforms. “This task force will complete its work within a set timeframe. Current rules, laws, policies and procedures must be re-drafted to suit the 21st century, to fit the global environment, and to align with the vision of making Bharat a developed nation by 2047,” he said.

“These reforms will give courage to all those who wish to shape their future. Be it our start-ups, our small industries, or our cottage industries, entrepreneurs will see a significant reduction in their compliance costs, which in turn will give them new strength. In the field of exports too, changes in logistics and systems will give them a major advantage,” he said.

Amid the stalled trade talks with the US, Modi declared that his government would never “compromise” the interests of farmers, livestock rearers and fisherfolk. There has been pressure from Washington on Delhi to open up its market to American farm produce, with duty concessions sought in agriculture and dairy sectors in the bilateral trade agreement being negotiated between the two countries.

“India’s farmers, cattle rearers, fishermen are our biggest priorities. Modi is standing like a wall against any harmful policy related to the farmers, fishermen and the cattle rearers of India. India will never accept any compromise regarding its farmers, its livestock farmers, its fishermen,” he said.

Infiltration or illegal immigration from Bangladesh has always been high on the BJP’s agenda. It has also been an emotive issue in Assam and West Bengal, which are among the states headed to elections next year. The BJP has made it a hot-button national political issue, with the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls controversy adding another layer to this and roiling Bihar, which is headed to polls in months. Modi touched upon the topic, saying he wanted to warn the nation of the “grave concern and challenge.”

“As part of a deliberate and well-thought-out conspiracy, the demography of the country is being altered. Seeds of a new crisis are being sown. These infiltrators are snatching away the livelihoods of our youth. These infiltrators are targeting our sisters and daughters. This will not be tolerated. These infiltrators are misleading innocent tribals and seizing their lands. The nation will not endure this. When demographic change occurs, particularly in border areas, it creates a crisis for national security. It threatens the unity, integrity and progress of the country. It sows the seeds of social tension.”

“No country can hand itself over to infiltrators. No nation in the world does so. How then can we allow Bharat to do so? Our forefathers attained freedom through sacrifice; they gave us a free Bharat. It is our duty towards those great souls that we do not accept such acts within our nation. This will be the true tribute to them. Today from the ramparts of the Red Fort, I announce that we have decided to launch a High-Powered Demography Mission. Through this mission, the severe crisis now looming over Bharat will be addressed in a deliberate and time-bound manner. We are moving forward in this direction,” he said.

He signalled that the much-awaited rationalisation of GST may be rolled out soon, linking it to cutting the tax burden impacting people. Given the coming Assembly polls in several states, the move could have an electoral dimension apart from countering the Opposition’s offensive against the government over an “ill-planned” GST.

“This Diwali, I am going to make it a double Diwali for you. The people of the country are going to get a very big gift. In the last 8 years, we have done a big reform of GST, reduced the tax burden across the country and simplified the tax regime. Now, after eight years, time has come to review it… We are going to come with the next generation of GST reforms, this will be a gift for you this Diwali. The taxes on essentials required by the common man will be reduced substantially… a lot of facilities will be increased. Our MSMEs, our small entrepreneurs will get a huge benefit. Everyday items will become very cheap and that will also give a new boost to the economy,” he said.

The biggest political message was Modi’s praise for the RSS, at a time when the Opposition, especially Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, claims that the Sangh is the real force behind the government. More importantly for BJP watchers, it comes ahead of the selection of the new party chief, which is already delayed. The inability of the BJP top leadership and RSS to agree on a name is believed to be one of the reasons for the delay.

“Today, I want to mention something with pride,” Modi said. “A hundred years ago, an organisation was born: the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. These hundred years of    service to the nation constitute a very proud and glorious chapter (in history). With the resolve of nation-building through character-building, with the aim of serving Maa Bharati, the swayamsevaks have, for a century, dedicated their lives to the welfare of the motherland. Service, dedication, organisation, and unmatched discipline – these have been its hallmarks. In a sense, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is the world’s largest NGO, with a century-long history of devotion. Today, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, I salute all the swayamsevaks who have contributed to this century-long journey of national service, and the nation takes pride in this grand and dedicated journey of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which will continue to inspire us,” he said.

He also mentioned Jan Sangh leader Syama Prasad Mookerjee and said he was the “first great personality” to sacrifice his life for the Constitution. “His sacrifice for the Constitution, the removal of the wall of Article 370, and the realisation of the mantra of ‘One Nation, One Constitution’ have been our true tribute to Mookerjee,” he said.

He also attacked the Congress, mentioning the Emergency and said its government’s ‘Gareebi Hatao’ slogan had remained merely a slogan. Modi invoked social reformer Jyotiba Phule and went on to talk about the “priority” his government placed on backward classes, in an apparent counter to the Congress’s OBC-centric social justice narrative.

Taking on the Congress over its campaign against his government for being a “threat to the Constitution”, Modi said his government considered the Constitution its supreme guiding light and source of inspiration while it was a Congress government that had imposed the Emergency.

“Fifty years ago, India’s Constitution was strangled… stabbed in the back. The country was turned into a jail,” he said. “No generation of the country should ever forget this sin of murdering the Constitution. The sinners who killed the Constitution should not be forgotten and we should move forward by strengthening our dedication towards the Constitution of India, it is our inspiration,” he said.

In what appeared to be a counter to another Opposition narrative, of ‘Hindi dominance’ under the Modi government, he talked about the diversity of India’s languages. “Our country is richly endowed with linguistic diversity. That is why we have accorded classical language status to Marathi, Assamese, Bangla, Pali and Prakrit. In my view, the more our languages develop, the more enriched they become, the stronger our entire knowledge system will grow. This is our strength – and in today’s age of data, it can also become a great strength for the world, for such is the power of our languages. We must be proud of all our languages, and everyone should contribute to their development,” he said.