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.
