Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a scathing attack against corruption, dynasty politics and nepotism in his Independence Day address.
PM Modi identified five resolutions that every citizen should strive to accomplish in the next 25 years.
In the 81-minute speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the PM said the country needs to come together as a society to punish those who have propagated the evils of corruption and nepotism.
“Today the nation shows anger towards corruption, but not the corrupt. Until and unless people adopt the approach to penalise the corrupt the nation cannot progress at an optimum pace,” he said.
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Announcing a fight against the twin evils, he said there is a need to cleanse every institution in India.
He cited India’s medal haul at the recent commonwealth games as an example of talent getting its due in the absence of nepotism.
“Our stellar performances at the international sporting events are an example of India’s shining talent. We need to promote and support such talent,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“Our stellar performances at the international sporting events are an example of India’s shining talent. We need to promote and support such talent,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}This is not the first time that the PM has underlined the perils of dynastic politics and taken an aggressive stance against it.
On an earlier occasion, he said dynastic politics promote casteism.
The Prime Minister also urged people to resolve to work towards developed India where the country will move forward with an aspiration to be a developed nation.
The second resolve is to get rid of a colonial past and share the baggage of colonialism.
“In any corner of the country or within our mind, if there is an iota of colonial past, we have to have to get rid of it. We have to liberate ourselves from the shackles of colonialism that kept us chained,” he said.
The third resolve is to take pride in India’s heritage, the fourth to strengthen unity to fulfil the aspiration of Ek Bharat, Shresht Bharat and the fifth resolve to fulfil the duties as a citizen.
“Citizen’s responsibility, which does not exclude the Prime Minister or the chief ministers since they are also citizens will greatly power our ambitions to fulfil our dreams over the next 25 years,” he said.
Stressing on the need for self-reliance, a theme that has been recurrent in his speeches and the government’s policy making in the past eight years, the PM said the country has to set its own parameters for measuring growth and adopt an “India First” approach.
“We need to shed the mentality of slavery; how long will we survive on the certificates given out by others. We need to form our own standards… I see hope in the new education policy, the way it has come about after inputs from thousands of people and rooted in Indian thought, it will give us power to decolonize,” he said.