Opinion Binoy Viswam writes: From Independence Day speeches to Chandrayaan-3: Lessons in humility from Nehru

The saga of our freedom struggle is unparalleled. Various streams of the fight against British imperialism flowed together to liberate us from colonial clutches. The perpetrators of colonial oppression believed that the Indian people’s aim to attain freedom was unachievable. But people’s desire for independence led them to adopt various forms of struggle, from Satyagraha to armed revolt. With that, the seemingly impossible was achieved. August 15, thus, became the most luminous day in the history of India. On the eve of our Independence, Nehru outlined our “tryst with destiny” in his historic speech. He declared from the ramparts of Red Fort that “the free flag of India is the symbol of freedom and democracy not only for India but for the whole world.”

Every prime minister after Nehru has tried to follow that glorious legacy and make Independence Day speeches meaningful, inspiring, and introspective. Since Narendra Modi assumed office, there has been a steady fall in that legacy. During Modi’s era, Independence Day speeches began to become hollow and sometimes mere political rhetoric. His speech on the 77th Independence Day was no different. It was, to borrow from Shakespeare, “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”. The PM did not spend much time discussing the legacy of our freedom movement, even on the anniversary of the very day we attained it. In his heart, he knows that the political stream he represents had no role, even as a spectator, in India’s eventful and diverse battle against colonialism. Hence, he resorted to his usual style of political speeches. Throughout world history, one can find such leaders, ones who adopted the same track deploying empty words to camouflage a lack of deeds.

While Nehru emphasised responsibility and accountability and upheld democratic values to the benefit of our great nation, Modi often forgets that he is the Prime Minister of the largest democracy in the world. The insight that his words have to represent 140 crores of Indians and their aspirations for a bright future escapes his attention. The PM has made the solemn occasion of Independence Day into a platform to deliver his typical electioneering speeches. People could see that his only worry was the 2024 elections. The PM was covering for his government’s colossal failures in all walks of governance by saying that India would become the world’s third-largest economy, and only his leadership would be responsible for that. Instead of giving due importance to the workers and engineers who built the new Parliament building, he gave himself all the credit.

But such matters are not important to him. This is in sharp contrast to Nehru, who chose a tribal construction worker to inaugurate the Panchet Dam in 1957.

The next case of misplaced priorities is the recently landed Chandrayaan-3. While the entire country was celebrating the Chandrayaan’s success, the Prime Minister, in his usual chest-thumping demeanour, captured the TV screens at the time of its landing, instead of the scientists and workers of ISRO. While Nehru saw great potential in promoting scientific temper and learning for the future of India, Modi conveniently made the success entirely about himself and his government. At the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru, he said “’India’s chest of knowledge and science is buried under the era of slavery. In the ‘Aazadi Ka Amrit Kaal’, we have to excavate this chest.” For the PM, the journey from the formation of the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) in 1962 to India becoming a space power was slavery. This so-called period of “slavery” was marked by ground-breaking milestones like the formation of the ISRO; the launch of Rohini, Aryabhatta, and Bhaskara; Rakesh Sharma’s voyage to space; several Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicles; and Chandryaan-1. Launched in 2013, Mangalyaan made India the first nation in the world to enter the Mars orbit in its maiden attempt. The painstaking work and contributions of Homi Jehangir Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan, A P J Abdul Kalam and numerous other scientists, engineers and workers was “slavery”. Our PM believes that India started on the path of scientific achievements only after 2014.

The Prime Minister wants to make himself believe that India has produced wonders under and solely due to his rule. He is eager to make others think so as well. The reality of the country urges the people of India not to fall prey to such gimmicks. While the Prime Minister was boasting about being a “Viswa Mitra and Viswaguru”, the citizens of this great country were facing testing times. The Viswa Mitra failed to hold the hand of the people of Manipur in their hour of need.

In the Human Development Index, our country stands at the 132nd place. Recently, Prime Minister Modi boasted about an IMF report in Parliament. According to the same IMF, India’s ranking on per capita nominal GDP is 139. In infant mortality rate, countries from the sub-Saharan region fare better than India. The promise of two crore jobs per year has been proven a lie and our young generation is staring at a bleak future. The price rise has destabilised all sections of society. Promises like Sab Ka Saath and Sab Ka Vikas are lying in the dustbin of aborted assurances.

The writer is leader of CPI Parliamentary Party and Secretary, National Council