Today in Politics: On 78th Independence Day, PM Modi to deliver speech from Red Fort

In the centrepiece annual event, the PM is expected to lay out his government’s agenda, present its report card, make important policy and programme announcements and speak on major national issues.

India's 78th Independence Day | Follow Live Updates

The theme of ‘Viksit Bharat’ is likely to feature in Modi’s speech, as are mentions of his government’s mandate for a third consecutive term following the Lok Sabha polls, and the various development programmes and welfare schemes under his governments. It remains to be seen if any new programmes or expansions of existing initiatives will be announced.

Among the “6,000 special guests” for the event are the Indian contingent for the Paris Olympics, students benefiting from the Atal Innovation Mission, workers of the Border Roads Organisation, and sarpanches of the gram panchayats.

State governments around the country will similarly mark Independence Day with flag-hoisting ceremonies and other events. However, some of these events have become the subject of controversy.

In Delhi, though the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government requested that Education Minister Atishi be allowed to hoist the flag in place of jailed Chief Minister Arvind Kerjiwal, Lt Governor V K Saxena instead nominated Home Minister Kailash Gahlot. The AAP had earlier criticised Saxena’s decision to bypass the government’s request but later welcomed the move saying it honoured the principle of democracy by “choosing an elected representative over an appointed one”, in a reference to the LG.

In Tamil Nadu, while both the BJP and Congress are marking Independence Day with rallies, the ruling DMK and some of its allies are boycotting Governor R N Ravi’s tea party at Raj Bhavan. The party declined the invite, saying in a statement that the “activities of the governor have been against the interests of Tamil Nadu and also the duly elected government in the state” and that “the activities of the governors are becoming political during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s regime”. DMK’s allies, including the VCK, CPI, CPI(M) and MDMK also said they would skip the event.

Meanwhile, the Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan (BJA), an umbrella body of civil society platforms, is launching an eight-month-long ‘Jana Gana Mana Abhiyaan’ to promote constitutional values on Thursday. In a statement, the BJA, which had backed the INDIA bloc in the recent Lok Sabha polls, said the campaign will start on August 15 and conclude on Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14 next year and will cover more than 400 Lok Sabha constituencies.

Telangana farm loan waiver

On Thursday, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy is expected to announce the third phase of a loan waiver (for loans up to Rs 2 lakh) at an event in the Khammam district. As promised by the ruling Congress, the loans of farmers who borrowed up to Rs 1 lakh were waived in the first phase, which began on July 15, with an amount of Rs 6,098 crores being released. The government kicked off the second phase of waivers for loans up to Rs 1.5 lakh on July 30 with an outlay of Rs 6,198 crore.

– With PTI inputs