Atmanirbharta, swadeshi echo in PM Modi's Independence Day speech

Business Standard

9 hours ago

At least until the 1991 economic reforms, the tenets of 'Swadeshi', or made in India, and 'Atmanirbharta', or self-reliance, which took inspiration from the country's freedom struggle and got reinforced during India's difficult initial years as an independent nation, were integral part of the country's political lexicon, including that of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The RSS, which marks its centenary this year, has also for some decades flagged the dangers of demographic changes taking place in the country's border districts.
On Friday, in his Independence Day (I-Day) speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at length on these issues. He urged the people to embrace 'swadeshi', and detailed his government's commitment to achieve self-reliance across sectors.
He announced the government's intent to set up a high-powered demography mission to study and tackle the crisis of demographic changes taking place in the country's border districts. The government had earlier announced its intent to set up such a committee in the interim Budget of 2024-25 in February.
The PM asked shopkeepers and traders, a traditional support base of the RSS, to put up boards outside their shops declaring that they sell only Indian products.
While the PM's push for 'Swadeshi' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' is partly an appeal to prepare the country for the impact of the US tariffs, the saffron party and the RSS are currently involved in intense negotiations over the candidature of the next BJP national president. Relations between the two were strained in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
During his speech, Modi, who was once an RSS pracharak, showered fulsome praise on the Sangh, hailing its 100 years as a 'very proud and glorious' journey of the 'world's biggest NGO (non-governmental organisation)'.
Modi said that the country is not built by governments alone, and neither is it built only by those who hold the reins of state power or those who administer governance. This nation is built by the toil of millions of people from all walks of life. 'Today, with great pride, I wish to mention one such institution,' the PM said.
He said the RSS was founded 100 years ago. These years of service to the nation constitute a proud and golden chapter. In a sense, the RSS is the world's largest NGO, with a century-long history of devotion, he said. 'Today, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, I salute all the swayamsevaks who have contributed to this century-long journey of national service, and the nation takes pride in this grand and dedicated journey of the RSS, which will continue to inspire us,' he added.
The Congress alleged that the praise for the RSS by PM Modi at the I-Day function was a desperate attempt to appease the Sangh in the run-up to his 75th birthday. 'The PM was tired today. Soon he will retire," Congress' Jairam Ramesh said, slamming Modi's speech as "stale, hypocritical, insipid'.
The PM also sought to blunt the Opposition's criticism of the BJP for imposing Hindi. Modi said his government has granted classical language status to Marathi, Assamese, Bengali, Pali and Prakrit.
Having faced Opposition's criticism over the Sangh Parivar trying to change the Constitution, or that it was against the interests of the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the PM sought to respond to these attacks.
The PM said the Constitution has been guiding 'us like a lighthouse' for 75 years now. He said the country is celebrating the 125th birth anniversary of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, 'the first great personality of the nation to sacrifice his life for the Constitution'.
In a reference to the Indira Gandhi-led Congress government imposing the Emergency in 1975, Modi said the Constitution was strangled, stabbed in the back, and the country was turned into a prison 50 years ago.
The PM also alluded to Indira Gandhi's slogan of 'Garibi Hatao' (eradicate poverty). He said people have heard the slogan many times, even from the Red Fort, and the nation grew tired of hearing it over and over again, but only his government's schemes lifted 250 million people out of poverty.
Modi said his government will mark the 200th birth anniversary of 19th Century social reformer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, and his mantra of 'priority to the backward' continues to inspire his dispensation's policies. The PM also spoke of the government's support for STs, women, the youth, and farmers.
On infiltration, Modi said it was a well-thought-out conspiracy. He said 'ghuspaithiyas' (intruders) are snatching the livelihood of the youth of the country, targeting the sisters and daughters of my country, and grabbing the lands of innocent tribals. He said the high-powered government mission will complete its work in a set timeframe.
Modi had warned about infiltration during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and had used the term 'ghuspaithiya' in his election campaign. The BJP has been raising the issue of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh marrying tribal girls in West Bengal and Jharkhand. The party has also raised the issue of illegal immigrants in Assam too.
On Friday, in their respective I-Day speeches, chief ministers (CMs) of Tripura, Uttarakhand, and Assam also flagged the issue of infiltration.
The Opposition has alleged that the BJP is using the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, which will later be implemented in Bengal and Assam, to target such illegal immigrants, especially those from the minority community. Bihar election is scheduled to take place by November while Assam and Bengal will go to polls by May 2026.