Opinion | PM’s Independence Day speech is an election report card, lacks punch

Viju Cherian

There is a set pattern to the Independence Day pageantry at the Red Fort with the prime minister’s speech being the only element in it that changes — this is also what makes it the centrepiece of the ceremony.

This year’s Independence Day speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was gripping in parts and touched on many focus areas of the government. It, however, did not live up to the high bar set by the prime minister. Modi spoke for almost half-an-hour more than he did in 2017, but today’s I-Day speech lacked punch and had shades of an election campaign.

The focus on women was a highlight of Modi’s speech. He spoke about ‘Team India’, Swachch Bharat, LPG connections, etc. — all topics that he has stressed in previous I-Day speeches. Modi spent considerable time talking about India’s economy and how economists now see it in positive light. In all, Modi largely chose to look back at what has been achieved, rather than focus on what can be achieved.

In highlighting the achievements of the government, the speech not only sounded more like the reading of a report card, but it also felt redundant in the age of 24X7 news media and the ubiquitous social media. Given that it is his last I-Day speech before the general elections, the constant references to where India was in 2013 and where it is today gave it the feel of a campaign pitch. Both showed how intelligently Modi has used the platform.

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Opinion Editor|moneycontrol.com

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There were also three big announcements in his speech. Frist, that by 2022 the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would send an Indian to space. Second, that there would be a permanent commission for women in the armed forces. Third, he said that the Ayushman Bharat Yojana will be rolled out on September 25, the birth anniversary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay. The announcement on the Ayushman Bharat Yojana does not come as a surprise as it was discussed during the Budget session and some are of the view that it is an enhancement of existing schemes such as the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana.

The five I-Day speeches by Modi in themselves tell a story. To an extent, it reflects the political mood and charts the course of the government.

His first I-Day speech in 2014 is by far the most impressive of the five speeches. It marked the much-awaited debut of Modi at the ramparts of the Red Fort. Modi placed himself as a common man, as the ‘outsider’ in Delhi’s political circles and it was then that he said he was the “Pradhan Sewak”. Schemes such as Make in India, Digital India, Jan Dhan Yojna were announced, and so was the plan to replace the Planning Commission.

The following year, in 2015, he stressed on ending corruption and empowering the common man. He said that the “poison” of casteism should be fought with the “nectar of development”. Analysts, however, felt that this speech did not live up to expectations. The OROP protests, lack of jobs and crisis in the farm sector cast their shadows.

In 2016, Modi was aggressive in his speech and the highlight was his reference to terror and Pakistan. In his 98-minute speech — the longest by any prime minister — Modi talked about the Peshawar school attack and condemned Pakistan’s attitude towards terror. His reference to Balochistan, Gilgit, and PoK, or about the Chabahar port showed Modi’s confidence in talking about hitherto uncomfortable topics.

The 2017 I-Day speech was the shortest (57 minutes) and mentioned demonetisation and the GST as major achievements. Modi spoke of building a new India by 2022, vowed to act tough against terror, and praised India’s surgical strikes along the LOC.

When seen in this background, today’s 82-minute speech was a bit of a dampener.