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rime Minister Narendra Modi’s fifth and spending more time in foreign visits and addressing
last speech during his tenure on the 72nd more than 426 election rallies in poll-bound states,
anniversary of Independence Day was PM Modi could spend little time in overviewing the
P meant to be historic in the run-up to the sincere implementation of these schemes and evalu-
Lok Sabha elections 2019. Surprisingly, PM Modi’s ating their monitoring. He did not walk the talk on
speech didn’t weave the same magic this time as his most of the issues. Foreign policy was almost missing
deliverance was nothing more than a report card from PM Modi’s last Independence Day speech. Bulk
devoted to his governance. He has delivered five part of PM Modi’s speech was a repetition of what
Independence Day speeches since 2014. Like every he has been saying for the past one year and there
year, PM Modi addressed the countrymen from the was nothing new, and as one expert calls it “appeal-
ramparts of the Red Fort with a slogan of ‘reform, ing rhetoric.”
perform and transform’. While dwelling on the issue of rape and the deter-
Sharing his vision of collective growth “team India” rent effect of death penalty and the general impor-
PM Modi emphasises: “When 125 crore countrymen tance of the rule of law, there was no reference to
become partners, then each and every citizen joins recurring incidents of lynching and atrocities on
us in the progress of the country. When 125 crore
dreams, 125 crore resolves, 125 crore efforts, move in
the right direction to attain desired goals then noth-
ing is unattainable.” This year’s 87-minute
Besides a number of other aspirations, Modi
assured the nation of “doubling the farmers’ income long speech was the
by the 75th year of Independence, housing for all,
electrification for all villages, toilets for all, Kasmiri- longest one given by
yat,” etc.
Knowing the criticality of 2019 general elections Modi in the last four
for the NDA, Modi’s speech continued with the
attacks on previous government with the mention of
“policy paralysis during the UPA rule.” years and it covered a
In 2014 general elections, the BJP under the
leadership of Modi was swept to power at the lot of issues like GST,
Centre by a majority and formed the govern-
ment by reviving the NDA. In his maiden speech in tax invasion, FDI and
2014, PM Modi presented himself as an “out-
sider” to power corridors of Delhi and claimed of electricity
having brought a fresh perspective and vision.
Corruption, policy paralysis, unemployment, job-
less youth, atrocities on Dalits, non-governance,
women’s plight. etc, which was his USP during his
electoral campaigns before he rode the crest of Dalits which have become a major blot on law
power, delivered the main highlights of his maid- and order in many states. According to one expert,
en speech from the Red Fort in 2014, with added PM Modi’s repeated emphasis on his so-called
emphasis on sanitation. “impatience” and “vision of new India” was perhaps
Nevertheless, Modi’s fifth and last speech of his designed to send the message that his “return” to
tenure as PM has failed to set an agenda like 2014 and power was inevitable to fulfil that vision.
seemed to be largely bound by the exigencies of the Some of the highlights from Modi’s speech
upcoming elections as he tried to give an account of
achievements of the past 50 months. The bulk part Space MiSSion 2022
of speech looked like a report card of his govern- India has resolved to send manned spacecraft to
ment, touching upon the achievement of flagship the space by 2022. India will be the fourth country
programmes laced with unverifiable facts and reit- to do this.
eration of pledges for various segments of the society
with the avowed objective of projecting the scenario FarMing Sector
that his party’s return to power only could ensure The government promises of “doubling farmer’s
redeeming of those pledges. income by 75th year of Independence.” New avenues
Having offered more than 120 new schemes, of organic farming, blue revolution, sweet revolu-

tehelka / 31 august 2018 14 www.tehelka.com