Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech, his 12th in a row, was delivered against the backdrop of a global economy roiled by unpredictability, turmoil and upheaval. PM Modi did not name him but Donald Trump and the tariff regime the US President has unleashed, lurked, between the lines, as both presence and shadow. For the most part, the PM spoke of how India needs to enliven the “Make in India” and “Vocal for Local” mantras, and install self-reliance at the heart of the country’s development strategy and growth model. The message was: In times when the Trump tariff regime is impacting exports, and when disruptions in global supply chains are threatening to squeeze imports, India must focus on strengthening the domestic economy by pursuing the path of self-sufficiency or “aatmanirbharta”. PM Modi reminded the nation of India’s proven “samarthya” or capability — when it took the lead in manufacturing the coronavirus vaccine, not only for itself, but also for the world; and more recently, when, powered by indigenous weapon systems, it conducted Operation Sindoor.
This is not the first time that PM Modi has spoken of the need to Make in India, or extolled the virtues of aatmanirbharta. But this I-day speech was remarkable for the urgency with which it sought to connect the dots from Atmanirbhar Bharat to Viksit Bharat and national security, framing it as a matter not merely of import-export but as a test of a nation’s very “aatma samman” or self-respect: “Hum nahin banayenge? Hum nirbhar rahenge? (Why will we remain dependent on others)?” He exhorted the young and the entrepreneurs, the scientists and the private sector, to come forward and fill the gaps with ideas and innovations — to make India’s own fertiliser and semiconductor, and to be self-reliant in clean energy and critical minerals. The government, he said, would encourage and enable them through the next generation of reforms, for which he announced a special task force.
