New Delhi, August 16: Setting the tone for India’s journey for the next 25 years and her goals for the centenary celebration of Independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India has to be a developed nation by 2047, and to achieve that all must come together.
Addressing the nation on the 76th Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi hailed their motherland as the ‘Mother of Democracy ‘, and stressed on fighting corruption and dynastic politics that have perforated through every institution.
Setting up goals for the next quarter until the 100th year, Modi said that the country should come together and achieve the goal of being a developed nation by following the ‘panch pran’ (five pledges).
The other four ‘prans’ are getting rid of slave mentality, taking pride in our legacy, a sense of togetherness, and citizens being aware of their duties.” We should completely get rid of any kind of slave mentality. We should take pride in what we are and strive to be the best of ourselves,” he said. Modi appealed to the younger generation to work incessantly for the next 20-25 years to put India in the league of developed nations. He insisted on cutting dependence on imports and making India self-reliant. Recalling the sacrifices made by Indian freedom fighters, the Prime Minister in a Tricolor safa and white overalls hoisted the Tiranga hailing the “mother of democracy” who has been proven innumerable times as she faced multiple challenges during her journey of 75 years. “What have we not suffered? We faced a food crisis, we became victims of war, terrorism created many challenges, innocent civilians were killed, the proxy war continued, and natural disasters kept coming. “We saw many ups and downs. But amid all this India continued to move forward. India’s diversity is its power,” the Prime Minister said.
“This mother of democracy, this India has proved that we have a priceless potential,” he said. He remembered heroes of the freedom struggle, and named Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Ramprasad Bismil, Rani Laxmi Bai, and even Jawaharlal Nehru besides ‘Veer Savarkar’.The Prime Minister also recalled the contribution of tribal warriors like Birsa Munda, Tirot Singh, and Alluri Sitarama Raju who played pivotal roles in keeping the freedom struggle alive in every corner of India. “There is something special about India. When we attained freedom there were many skeptics who doubted our development trajectory. But, they did not know that there is something different about the people of this land. They did not know that the soil that enriches its roots is special,” the Prime Minister said. He also stressed that India is an aspirational society where changes are being powered by a collective spirit.
