Modi’s Political address from Ramparts of Red Fort
Omkar Dattatray
Prime minister Narendra Modi has addressed the nation on independence day for the tenth consecutive term from the Red Fort and has thrown light on a number of issues concerning the nation ,but moreso dwelt on the politics .It is unfortunate and untenable that this year’s address on independence day was through and through political and it seemed that it was not the prime minister of India who was addressing but some political leaders with an eye on politics .
In fact Modi though touched the vision of India and talked on the development of the nation and guaranteed that India will be a developed nation by 2047.His whole address was futuristic and vision based and it pointed towards the development and ambitious address .But in effect Modi’s address on independence was a political one with an eye on the general elections of 2024 which is hardly a year away .
Modi addressed in such a manner as if ,it was some political leaders of a political party who was addressing to his political constituency .Modi is a very big and global leader ,but his address on the 77th independence day was purely political .He only listed the achievements of his five years rule and he boastfully declared that he will hoist the national flag in 2024 also and therefore it seems that Modi is intoxicated by the power opium and he does not want to be divorced from the PM’s chair come what may and thus has Modi declared that he will address the nation in the next year too from the ramparts of the Red Fort .
However congress president Kharge was quick to detest his claim and said that Modi will hoist the national flag not at the Red Fort but at his government bungalow .Modi has indirectly asked the countrymen to vote him back by voting the BJP to power again .From using the Vedic phrase ‘’Sangachhadwam ‘’or taking along all to resolve to fight corruption ,or the’’ Pran ‘’of abandoning ‘’Ghulami Ki manasikta ‘’or mentality of servitude –PM has articulated a wide range of ideas in his independence address from the ramparts of the Red Fort .
But the central theme of his address was political with focus on Lok Sabha elections of 2024 which Modi and co do not like to fritter away .So Modi dwelt exclusively on the politics and the upcoming general elections which are only a years from now.PM has delivered his tenth address ,the last of his second term from Red Fort .While it is so good that Modi has guaranteed the countrymen a developed nation by 2047 when the country will be celebrating the 100th independence day .Modi did not stop here but also said that India will be one among the three top economies in the next five years .It seems that Modi’s address was more ambitious than realistic and practical .
To attain a developed nation status by 2047 ,we need to work very hard and jointly strive for the development ,otherwise it will not be possible .However there is nothing new about the ambitious address of PM Modi ,as any other government can guarantee you a developed nation by 2047 and this ambitious plan has nothing to do with the power politics as the country will be developed nation by 2047 whichever party will be in power at the centre and Modi’s guarantee has no sense as the country will develop without Modi being the head of the government .
Moreover Modi has chosen the time and the auspicious occasion to target his opponents .Modi slammed the opposition parties and called the opposition conglomerate INDIA as Gumandi –boastful and said that it has been forged with the single point in view of not allowing him to again reach to power .Opposition alliance is a negative alliance and there is no positivity in it and it only has one point agenda to defeat Modi in 2024.Though INDIA itself mentions development but in reality it is devoid of developmental politics which is needed badly in the country .
The PM should not have seized the opportunity to slam and criticize the country’s opposition and belittle the opposition because in parliamentary democracy the role ,place and contribution of opposition is very important because without a strong opposition ,the democracy is meaningless as for the functioning of a democracy ,oppositions role cannot be exaggerated .Thus instead of belittling the opposition ,Modi should encourage the opposition to play its developmental role in the democracy .Thus only denouncing countries opposition has no value and it seems that Modi is addressing his political constituency and his address was directed towards opposing the countries opposition.
PM Modi addressed the nation by targeting the opposition parties and also made appeal to the countrymen to bless BJP /NDA again in 2024 so that the government will continue its developmental and ambitious work .Modi said that the opposition alliance is the alliance of dynasts and of the diametrically opposed parties and the opposition alliance has no party ideology and philosophy but revolves round the one point negative agenda of removing him from the post of prime ministership .The opposition parties have no developmental agenda but have one common point to remove Modi from the top seat .
There is great need that the opposition parties should also focus on the development plank and make efforts to make India a developed nation by 2047 and it should present the joint opposition as a viable alternative in 2024 and for this it is all the more important that the opposition alliance should project itself as good alternative to the divisive politics of the BJP .
The congress and all other opposition parties decry the NDA headed by BJP as the party which is busy doing divisive and communal politics and for this purpose it goes even to the extent of fomenting communal trouble as well as has happened and is happening in Manipur ,mind BJP is ruling this state as well .Manipur is burning with religions -ethnic fire and the ruling BJP and its high command has maintained stoic silence about Manipur violence.
It was only recently that PM Modi while addressing the nation on the eve of independence has appealed the people of Manipur to maintain peace and also ensured the nation that Manipur will soon limp back to normalcy .In brief PM Modi should have addressed the nation not as a leader of a political party but as a the PM of 140 crore people.
(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist)
