Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday led the Independence Day celebrations from the ramparts of Red Ford. While he made a strong pitch for 'one nation, one election' and urged political parties to come forward to realise the dream, he also said a "secular civil code" is the need of the hour as the existing set of laws is "communal civil code" and discriminatory.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the country's deep gratitude to the freedom fighters, stating that the nation remains indebted to their sacrifices. He highlighted that Independence Day is a moment to honour and remember the bravery and dedication of those who fought for the country's freedom. Modi called on the citizens to reflect on the sacrifices made and to carry forward the legacy of the freedom struggle in building a stronger and developed India. He further also expressed concern over the increasing impact of natural disasters in recent years. PM highlighted the growing worry among the populace due to the frequent occurrence of such calamities.
PM Modi also spoke about the ongoing Bangladesh turmoil and hoped the situation in violence-hit country would return to normal soon. He said that 140 crore Indians were worried about the safety of Hindus and other minorities in the neighbouring country. In his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of Red Fort in the national capital, Modi said India is committed to peace and will remain a well-wisher of Bangladesh in its development journey.
With touching all the major issues prevalent in and outside the country, the PM spoke extempore for almost 98 minutes. Here are the durations of his earlier Independence Day speeches:
- 2014: 65 mins
- 2015: 85 mins
- 2016: 94 mins
- 2017: 56 mins
- 2018: 83 mins
- 2019: 92 mins
- 2020: 86 mins
- 2021: 88 mins
- 2022: 83 mins
- 2023: 90 mins
Other PM's record
Before Modi, Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947 and IK Gujral in 1997 had the longest speeches at 72 and 71 minutes, respectively. Nehru and Indira also gave the shortest speeches on record at 14 minutes in 1954 and 1966, respectively. Former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee also gave some of the shortest Independence Day speeches from the Red Fort. Singh's speeches in 2012 and 2013 lasted only 32 and 35 minutes, respectively. Vajpayee's speeches in 2002 and 2003 were even shorter at 25 and 30 minutes.
