Urdu Press on Modi’s I-Day speech: Silent on job crisis, govt needs to dispel sense of fear among minorities

The daily underlined that India had developed because of its economic policies and there were millions of women lakhpatis already in the country. “Several thousands of them are millionaires as well,” the daily said. “The PM spoke about two crore women billionaires to win their hearts. The contribution of women in making India a developed country can’t be undermined, and they should also be given an equal opportunity to reap its benefits,” Siasat wrote.

The daily reminded that in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections campaign Modi had promised to provide two crore jobs every year. “Now the Prime Minister is in his 10th year of power. According to this promise, employment should have been provided to 20 crore youths in the country so far, but the situation seems to be the opposite. In his speech, the prime minister did not provide any data on how many jobs have been provided so far as per his most important promise. The speech did not mention any employment generation roadmap either,” wrote the newspaper.

The daily said the Prime Minister didn’t announce any policy to tackle rising crimes and discrimination against women. “The Modi government’s slogan is ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’. There was no mention of any new initiatives in achieving this goal. The PM’s speech was devoid of any policy or plan to make two crore women wealthy. Atrocities and injustices against women are on the rise in almost every state of the country. In Manipur, women were paraded naked, and other atrocities were committed against them in the state. Nothing is being done to improve the situation in the violence-hit state. Women are affected by inflation also. In this regard, the Prime Minister did not say anything in his speech. It did not clarify what the government plans were to bring relief to women while controlling inflation,” Siasat wrote.

Salar

In its editorial, the Bengaluru-based Salar wrote that Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on India’s 77th Independence Day seemed more like the speech of the leader of a political party and not that of a prime minister. “The PM not only used the solemn occasion to highlight the achievements of his government and show the confidence of winning the next general elections, he also criticised Opposition parties from the ramparts of the Red Fort,” the daily wrote.

Number of Independence Day speeches by PMs

Number of speeches on Independence Day by Prime Ministers over the years

Its editorial noted that the Independence Day speech was the last speech of his current term. “The people of India will decide in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as to who will deliver the next Independence Day speech from the Red Fort.” But the PM, the daily noted, claimed in no uncertain terms that he would return to power for a third term. In the 90-minute speech, Modi announced several new schemes and talked about the benefits of his government’s past policies. On violence-hit Manipur, the editorial said the PM didn’t own up to his responsibility “but said these incidents can take place anywhere and the pain is felt across the country”.

The PM said for the country to progress “we have to fight corruption, dynasty and appeasement”. Here also the Opposition was his target, the editorial said. This, Salar said, begged the question of whether he is the prime minister of the whole country or only a select few and some political parties. The daily touched upon Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s absence from the celebrations at Red Fort. The Opposition leader clarified that he couldn’t attend the event because of security issues.

The PM said, “I firmly believe that when the country will celebrate 100 years of freedom in 2047, the country would be a developed India.” This goal, according to the daily, can be achieved if the confidence of ordinary people is restored, the prevailing sense of fear among minorities is dispelled, the Opposition is taken along, the right policies are adopted, and reforms are carried out without any bias.

Roznama Sahara

In its editorial, Sahara highlighted the successful Independence Day celebrations. “Though the day was celebrated with great enthusiasm in all parts of the country, the focus was on the celebrations in Srinagar,” the daily wrote. According to the editorial, the excitement over I-Day in Jammu and Kashmir was palpable this time. “It did not seem that this is the same Kashmir which generally conjures up images of violence in the minds of the common people,” it said. The daily wrote that the people of the Valley had sent out a message on August 13 itself when a massive rally was successfully organised under the leadership of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha.

The editorial said the ceremony at the Bakshi Stadium, where Sinha hoisted the Tricolour, surprised everyone. “The passion and enthusiasm of Kashmiris was on full display at the event,” it read.