In Pics: Prime Ministers who hoisted National flag from Red Fort

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from the historic Red Fort as the Prime Minister for the first time. The level of expectation was extremely high owing to Modi's excellent oratory skills. And he did justice to it.Over the past few months people' expecting from the Prime Minister has increased. Last year, after Dr Manmohan Singh, Modi's predecessor, had delivered the Independence Day speech; he had challenged him on who could speak better.He had called Manmohan's speech uninspiring. Narendra Modi will also be unfurling the National flag. As India looks forward to celebrate its Independence Day, it may also be noted that PM Modi is the first Prime Minister to address the nation who was born post independence. All other Prime Ministers were born before India was freed from the clutches of the British.Modi in his speech praised all his predecessors and previous governments for contributing to India's development."All prime ministers, previous governments have contributed (to develop the country)," Modi said in his maiden Independence Day address from the Red Fort here."All governments in the states have also contributed. I offer my respects to them."Modi went on: "Let us walk together, think together, and make a determination to take ahead the nation together."The prime minister underlined the need for national consensus."We are not those who want to move ahead on the basis of our mandate," he said, in a clear reference to the BJP's parliamentary majority. "We want to walk together with consensus.He also described himself as the country's "Pradhan Sevak"."I stand before you today not as the prime minister but as the pradhan sevak," he said at the start of his speech. "Many, many greetings from the Pradhan Sevak."Here goes the list of Prime Ministers who were fortunate enough to hoist the national flag from Ref Fort on Independence Day.Jawaharlal Nehru –The first National flag was hoisted by none other than India's 1st Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 15th August 1947. That day marked the beginning of sovereign, socialist and secular India. It marked India's Independence. As Pt Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the national flag at Delhi's Red Fort, the nation rose to respect and saluted it.Jawaharlal Nehru was born on 14th November, 1889 in Allahabad. He joined the Indian National Congress in 1919. After Pakistan was carved out, he was made India's first Prime Minister.Jawaharlal Nehru died on 27th May 1964. Nehru's speech on the eve of India's Independence was extremely powerful and re-evoked sense of brotherhood amongst the masses. An extract of the speech is as follows:“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.”Nehru served as the PM from 15th August 1947 till 27th May 1964Lal Bahadur ShastriHe was the second Prime Minister of India who got the privilege to hoist the national flag. Lal Bahadur Shastri was soft – spoken and mild natured. He was an adamant Nehruvian socialist. After Nehru's death, he was projected as the PM to keep the left- wing ideology alive. Lal Bahadur Shastri was made the Prime Minister on 9th June, 1964. His tenure was brief. He died in Tashkent, Pakistan, the day after signing the Tashkent Declaration. His sudden death was suspicious. His family claimed that he suffered no physical ailment and that he was poisoned. His death still remains a mystery. He died on 11th January, 1966.In his first broadcast as Prime Minister, on 11th June 1964, Shastri said:“There comes a time in the life of every nation when it stands at the cross-roads of history and must choose which way to go. But for us there need be no difficulty or hesitation, no looking to right or left. Our way is straight and clear—the building up of a socialist democracy at home with freedom and prosperity for all, and the maintenance of world peace and friendship with all nations.”Indira GandhiAfter Lal Bahadur Shastri's sudden death, the Congress party projected Indira Gandhi as India's third Prime Minister (Gulzarilal Nanda served at acting PM after Shastri's death.).Indira Gandhi is known as one of the most influential, powerful and controversial leader in Indian politics. She served as PM from 1966 to 1977 and then again from 1980 till 1984. Indira was the second longest serving Prime Minister of India. She also happens to be the only woman to have held the office.Indira was the only daughter of Pt Jawaharlal Nehru. Owing to her background it was but obvious that she would carry forward the legacy left behind by her father.Some interesting quotes by Indira Gandhi are:“There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.”“Even if I died in the service of the nation, I would be proud of it. Every drop of my blood... will contribute to the growth of this nation and to make it strong and dynamic.”“My father was a statesman, I am a political woman. My father was a saint. I am not.”Morarji DesaiMorarji Desai was the first Prime Minister to head India's first non-Congress government. Even though Morarji Desai was a Congressman, his party members attempted to prevent his rise on several occasions. After Jawaharlal Nehru's death, Lal Bahadur Shastri was made the PM to suppress him. Once again after his sudden death, the party chose Indira Gandhi above him.Prior to his becoming Prime Minster, he had held several important portfolios like Home Minister, Finance Minister, Deputy Prime Minister of India.He was the only Indian national to be conferred with Pakistan's highest civilian award, Nishan-e-Pakistan, which was conferred on him by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990 in a colorful ceremony.He served in office at the PM from 24th March 1977 till 28th July, 1979 as a leader of Janata Party.Charan SinghCharan Singh was the sixth Prime Minister. He served in the office of a brief span of time – from 28th July 1979 until 14th January, 1980.Charan Singh holds the record of being the sole Prime Minister of India who did not face the Lok Sabha even for a single day during his short tenure of just a month.Charan Singh was a member of the Indian National Congress, but he was at constant war with Nehru because of difference in opinion.Charan Singh left the Congress party in 1967, and formed his own political party, Bharatiya Kranti Dal. With the help and support of Raj Narain and Ram Manohar Lohia, he became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1967. In 1975 he was jailed by Indira Gandhi and declared National Emergency. This act decreased Indira's supporters and she was voted out.Charan Singh died on 29th May, 1987.Rajiv GandhiAfter Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984, Rajiv Gandhi was declared the Prime Minister. He served as the seventh PM of India serving from 1984 till 1989. he was the youngest politician to handle such an important office.Rajiv Gandhi belonged to a politically strong family. After his brother Sanjay Gandhi died in the plane crash in 1980, Indira forced him to join politics. By then he had been working as a pilot in Indian Airways. A reluctant Rajiv emerged to be considered as one of the best Prime Ministers of the nation.In 31 October, 1984 Indira Gandhi was assassinated. That very day Rajiv Gandhi was appointed at PM.In 1991 while he was campaigning for the elections he was assassinated by a suicide bomber from the LTTE.V P Singh Vishwanath Pratap Singh succeeded Rajiv Gandhi as the Prime Minister. He served from 2nd December 1989 to 10th November 1990. V P Singh could not complete even a year in office.V P Singh was born on 25th June 1931in Allahabad. He was the 8th PM.Vishwanath Pratap Singh is known for trying to improve the lot of India's lower castes in his short term as Prime Minister. Singh was renowned for his obsession with honesty and his willingness to sacrifice officeV P Singh formed a political party called Jan Morcha along with Arun Nehru and Arif Mohammad Khan. Later this party merged with Janata Party and came to be known as Janata Dal.He died on 27th November 2008P. V. Narasimha RaoP. V. Narasimha Rao was the first non- Hindi speaking South Indian to become the Prime Minister.He was a lawyer and politician. Narasimha Rao served as the 10th Prime Minister.He was born on 28th June 1921.Rao is often referred to as the “Father of Indian Economic Reforms”. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh continued the economic reform policies pioneered by Rao's government. Rao accelerated the dismantling of the License Raj, reversing the socialist policies of Rajiv Gandhi's government.He employed Dr. Manmohan Singh as his Finance Minister to embark on historic economic transition. Rao and Manmohan Singh together worked to develop India.In his later years, he faced a lot of financial crisis. Rao asked his friends to sell away his house at Banajara hills to clear the dues of advocates. Rao was afraid of dying before clearing his dues to the lawyers.Rao suffered a heart attack on 9 December 2004. He died on 23rd December that year. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister of India from 1996 to 2004 in three non-consecutive terms.His first term was in May 1996. In the Lok Sabha Elections in 1996 the BJP emerged as the single largest party. The then president Shankar Dayal Sharma invited Vajpayee to form the government. Vajpayee was sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister of India, but the BJP failed to muster enough support from other parties to obtain a majority. He resigned after 13 days, when it became clear that he could not garner a majority.He was again appointed as PM in 1998. This government lasted 13 months until mid-1999 when the AIADMK under J. Jayalalitha withdrew its support to the government.Again the Lok Sabha was again dissolved and fresh elections were held. This time BJP-led NDA won 303 seats out of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, thereby securing a comfortable and stable majority. On 13th October 1999 Atal Bihari Vajpayee took oath as Prime Minister of India for the third time.Vajpayee was known for excellent oratory skills. He now survives under critical health condition.H. D. Deve Gowda H. D. Deve Gowda served as the 12th Prime Minister. He was appointed as PM on 1st June 1996. He is an influential leader of the Vokkaliga community and is popularly known as “Mannina maga” (Son of the soil) for espousing the cause of the farmers.Deve Gowda joined the Indian National Congress party in 1953 and remained its member until 1962.In the 1996 general elections, the Congress party headed by P.V. Narasimha Rao lost the elections but no other party won enough seats to form a government. When the United Front (a conglomeration of non-Congress and non-BJP regional parties) decided to form the Government at the Centre with the support of the Congress, Deve Gowda was unexpectedly chosen to head the government as PM and he continued to be in power until 21st April 1997.He was nicknamed as “Sleeping Gowda”, due to his habit of taking siesta in the Lok Sabha and other official functionsInder Kumar GujralInder Kumar Gujral served as the 13th Prime Minister of India. His tenure was brief. He held the post from April 1997 to March 1998.He joined the Congress party in 1964. Gujral was close to Indira Gandhi. During the Emergency of June 1975, Gujral was Minister of Information and Broadcasting, where he was in charge of the media during a time of censorship.Gujral resigned from the Congress party in the 1980s. He then joined the Janata Dal.In 1992, Gujral was selected to the Rajya Sabha with the help of Lalu Prasad Yadav. In 1996 election, when the United Front government was formed under the leader of H. D. Deve Gowda, Gujral was made the Foreign Affairs Minister. This government was supported by Congress from outside. Congress decided to withdraw its support because it wanted the PM replaced. Hence Gujral was appointed at Congress' consent.Manmohan SinghManmohan Singh was the first Prime Minister outside the Gandhi-Nehru family to unfurl the national tri-colour from the ramparts of the Red Fort for the 10th time.Only Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi have hoisted the flag more than 10 times at the Red Fort.Manmohan Singh was the country's 14th Prime Minister, first hoisted the tricolour on August 15, 2004, nearly four months after he assumed office in May.He is an economist turned politician. He served as the Prime Minster for consecutive two terms from 22nd May 2004 till 26th May 2014.Dr Manmohan Singh served as Finance Minister under P V Narasimha Rao. The pair worked together to bring about majors reforms. He is considered as excellent economist.Singh is perceived as a man of clean background. He is seen as a man of few words. But he is also criticized for being inactive and for acting under suppression.