Four Key Messages From Prime Minister Modi’s Independence Day Speech

Yesterday (15 August) marked the seventy-second Independence day of India. Incidentally, it was also the 146th birth anniversary of one of the tallest nationalist leaders and an intellectual giant, Sri Aurobindo. Therefore, it is fitting tribute that the Prime Minister, in what could be his last Independence day address to the nation, drew strength from the vision of Sri Aurobindo and spoke about the collective strength of the nation. This speech could also be seen as a strong pitch to the citizens about their vision and their work in building a new and aspirational India. There are four strong messages which came forth in this pitch which summed up the work done by the government since 2014.

Sri Aurobindo’s idea of Bhawani Bharati as the repository of the power and the enterprise of Indians and the voluntary people-led-movements of Mahatma Gandhi may have lot of differences in both ideation and implementation, but are tied to the common understanding that the country is as strong as the collective assertion of all citizens. Earlier, it was the fight for independence and in the present day it is to escape the inertia of laggard development.

Through the course of the past four years, Jan Bhagidaari has become a rallying word for the Prime Minister, the roots of which are tied to earlier Gandhian movements of voluntary service. In his independence day speech too, the Prime Minister spoke about the role of participatory democracy which he believes has led to a deeper engagement of people in the development process. This remains one of his strongest messages year after year, when he talks of Team India.

And to be fair, there have been numerous attempts by the government to instil that sense of engagement and unity. The best examples are of the Swachh Bharat Mission and the Give Up campaign which have been massive successes. Other flimsier attempts are Fit India, International Yoga Day and more soft power based multiple interventions to bring people on one platform. In his last pitch to the country before the 2019 elections, the Prime Minister went back to his ideas of Jan Bhagidaari and laid out the differences in the confidence, the optimism and the enthusiasm in the country. Drawing from the quote of Sri Aurobindo, the message was that the government has been able to unleash the Shakti of people which was lying dormant and has been able to channelise it to facilitate development.

The second key message that came from the speech was about the qualitative change in the functioning of the government from delays and dormancy to decisiveness. This speech, which could be seen as a report card for the past four years, pitches this as the strength of the government which reflects intent and courage. The Prime Minister spoke about decisions like Goods and Services Tax (GST), One Rank One Pension (OROP) and Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers which the last one decade had been agreed upon in principle but had never gone beyond that. While previous governments had agreed on the merit and the need of certain policy decisions, there was no urgency or intent seen to move beyond endless discussions and deliberations on the same. Therefore, the Prime Minister emphasised on the intent and clarity of vision of the government which has helped them in taking momentous decisions including GST, MSP for farmers, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy act and the Benaami Property act.

The third message in the pitch was on the focus on last mile service delivery. The Prime Minister stressed that the pace of development since 2013 has picked up phenomenally and that owes to the focus on addressing the concerns of the last mile. For instance, going by the pace of 2013, it would have been impossible to get 100 per cent rural electrification, more than 90 per cent sanitation coverage and eight crore liquid petroleum gas (LPG) connections made available to women. It would have probably taken more than a decade to achieve these milestones. But, the government has been successful in taking on projects on a mission mode and focus on attaining these targets through sustained monitoring. This is a fact that even the strongest critics of the government cannot deny because the numbers speak for themselves.

The fourth message and probably the one which drew from the above two points was the intention to dream and aim big. He spoke about the largest possible canvas of development which is just what an impatient and an aspirational country desires and deserves. Big projects with stringent outcome targets have been a policy feature of the Modi government starting with the Jan Dhan Yojana to Swachh Bharat to the Ayushman Bharat program to be rolled out in September, this year. 100 per cent financial inclusion, complete elimination of open defecation, 100 per cent rural electrification, universal housing and now health insurance coverage for 10 crore economically backward families. The targets are enormous and time bound but the government wants to sell the idea that new India aspires and dreams at scale. Such huge ambitions have often come with their political fallouts, the biggest instance being the rollout of GST. But, it is a unique feature of the Modi government which the Prime Minister has pitched strongly.

This Independence day speech saw the Prime Minister pitch the successes and the vision of the government and outline a map for the term ahead. A manned space mission by 2022, a new agricultural export policy and permanent commissioning of women in the armed forces are some of the highlights of the road ahead. As the country prepares for what could be the most heated electoral battle in 2019, the Prime Minister will rely on his record of fulfilled promises. And perhaps go back to that sense of hope for change which marked the 2014 campaign which the government believes has translated into desire for continuity.