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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech may chart govt’s road map
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Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech may chart govt’s road map

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may also speak on the unrest in Kashmir and raise issue of violence against Dalits in his speech, say analysts

A file photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo: PTIPremium
A file photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Two months after completing his second year in office and following a successful Parliament session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort for the third time on Monday.

It is expected that he will use the Independence Day speech to indicate the government’s road map.

After coming to power in May 2014, Modi has used this opportunity to reach out to wide sections of the people.

Flagship programmes such as Make In India, Jan Dhan Yojana, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Digital India were announced in the 2014 Independence Day speech, while initiatives on rural electrification, supporting entrepreneurship among Dalits, tribals and women and discontinuing interviews for junior-level posts were announced in 2015.

During his radio address, Mann ki Baat, in July, Modi asked people to send their suggestions for his annual address.

He added that his speech should be reflective of the desires and aspirations of the people.

Many people have suggested on the government’s MyGov website that Modi speak on issues such as rainwater conservation, unemployment, casteism and village development.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is using national festivities for reaching out to the people. He has often said that development is not only a programme of the government but it should be made a movement of the people. So, by making people aware of the different development programmes of the government, he is asking them to become part of the process and help the government. The Prime Minister is also using this occasion to send across a social message to the people and has asked them to take the lead in bringing social change, which leads to social harmony, development and peace in the society," said a senior leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

With the National Democratic Alliance government close to reaching the halfway point of its five-year tenure and assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Goa coming up over the rest of its term, Modi is expected yet again to reach out to the people.

The Prime Minister has used the past two speeches on Independence Day to make key announcements about the policies to be taken up by the BJP-led government.

In his first Independence Day speech in 2014, he talked about scrapping the Planning Commission and how it was no longer the centre of economic activity.

Soon after, a new institution, Niti Aayog, came into being, which highlighted a focus area of the government—cooperative federalism.

Similarly, when his government was under fire last year over the delay in announcing the One Rank One Pension scheme, Modi said in his Independence Day speech that the government supported the move in principle and was working out the details.

In his first Independence Day speech, Modi had also condemned crimes against women and blamed them on a deep-rooted patriarchal system that imposes restrictions on girls, while allowing the behaviour of boys to go unquestioned.

It was in this speech that Modi announced the launch of a Clean India campaign from 2 October 2014, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Political analysts feel there is a possibility that Modi will talk about the ongoing incidents of violence against Dalits in the country by self-styled groups of cow protectors.

“The Prime Minister has been talking about growing incidence of violence. Modi has raised this issue twice in less than 10 days and there is a possibility that he would again use the occasion to talk about the caste divide," said Jai Mrug, a Mumbai-based political analyst.

Mrug added, “The ongoing situation in Jammu and Kashmir is also a cause of concern for the Prime Minister, and he is expected to talk about former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s road map for peace in the Kashmir valley."

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Published: 15 Aug 2016, 12:25 AM IST
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