The Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the nation from the ramparts of the historic ‘Lal Quila’ (Red Fort) in Delhi, on India’s 68th ‘Independence Day’ made a revolutionary and vibrant call to the people across the globe : “Come and Manufacture in India” and “Sell anywhere in the world”. The Prime Minister’s clarion call to the people came in the wake of the fact that even after sixty eight years of independence, India still continues to be a consumer nation, which is importing enormous amount of various products. And of-course, it is high time that this situation has to change.
Actually, we have the manpower and the resources to produce quality products that can be exported to other nations of the world. But unfortunately, we are not using our resources, instead wasting it, which ultimately resulted in economic de-stability and curtailment of progress.
The import of these goods have resulted in the loss of foreign exchange as well. Perhaps, it may be under this context that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made this call with the good intention of bringing in ‘Economic Stability’ to the nation by earning more foreign exchange. During his speech he said : “Come, make in India”, “Come, Manufacture in India”and “Sell in any country of the world”. This is yet another move by Narendra Modi to lead India to tremendous progress. He also aims at turning India from its present stage of being a consumer nation to exporter of goods and enhance its status further amongthe various nations. Another intention of the Prime Minister is to stop the import of goods, through which the increasing prices of commodities could be arrested. As a matter of fact India is a leading importer of goods and we are depending on other countries even for very small things.
“We have got the skill, talent, discipline, and determination to do something. We want to give the world a favorable opportunity. The Prime Minister again called upon the people and said: ‘Come, Make in India’ and we will say to the world, from ‘Electrical to Electronics’, ‘Come, Make in India’, from ‘Automobiles to Agro value addition’ ‘Come, Make in India’ Paper or Plastic, “Come, Make in India”, Satellite or Submarine’, ‘Come, Make in India’. Our country is powerful. Come, I am giving you an invitation. Narendra Modi, further added that he is present there not as a ‘Prime Minister’ but as a ‘Prime Servant’. But it remains to be seen as to how far he could remain to be so. Because “words and deeds” are different and one becomes a “prime servant” only when he lives with the expectations of the people. “I am present amidst you not as the Prime Minister, but as the Prime Servant”.
And of-course, if we take this statement in its real sense, it is absolutely true and meaningful, especially under the context that the very purpose of electing a parliament which in turn elect the leader of the majority party as the Prime Minister is to serve the nation.In other words, a peoples representative or Member of Parliament or State Legislature and similar other bodies in essence are supposed to serve the people and the nation. Serving the nation means serving its subjects as well. It is also remarkable that, unlike his predecessors, Narendra Modi has shown the ‘courage’ and ‘will’ to declare this in public which enhanced his image further. But, it essentially will become true of himself, only when it is proved in deeds and not in words. So the days to come will be a testing time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his council of ministers.
The Prime Minister in his highly inspiring speech has described ‘the day of independence’ as a festival when we take a solemn pledge of working for the welfare of our mother land and also for the poor, oppressed, dalits, the exploited and the backward strata of our society. On the other hand Narendra Modi in his enthusiastic and maiden speech at the Red Fort,did not spare the chance to give a bewildering attack on the congress which claims to be the forerunners of India’s freedom struggle. He said : “This nation has neither been built by political leaders nor by rulers nor by governments”. And of-course, his statement is true to a certain extent, especially since it is not the same Congress party which administered the nation for decades together. But, it was the Indian National Congress, which was not considered a political party but a movement led by our national leaders who fought for Independence. Any how, it was incidentally the great leaders of the then national movement who happened to be the members of the government. To add fervor to his statement, he said that, ‘the nation has been built by our farmers, workers, our mothers and sisters and our youth’. He further said, that the country has reached its present glory, because of generations of rigors undertaken by our sages, saints, maestros, teachers, scientists and social workers. Of-course, this statement is also true, but is it possible for anybody to achieve this Glory without a strong political leadership.
However, the following statement by the Prime Minister was a contradiction to the earlier one, as he said : “Today, if we have reached here after independence, it is because of the contributions of all the Prime Ministers, all the governments and even the governments of all the States”. It is appreciable that, he did not forget to express his feelings of respect and gratitude to all those previous governments and ex-Prime Ministers who have endeavored to take India to such heights and who have added to the country’s glory.
As a matter of fact, whatever may be the political ideology or inclination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is sure for one thing, that he is committed to the main objective of leading India forward to progress. Though, it is unpredictable about his aims in future, one can be sure that he is presently making all efforts to build a cordial relationship with all to make India strong.
The prime Minister in his speech has expressed his discontent over the disunity and conflict prevalent in various government departments. It is true as the PM himself put it, two departments of the same government are fighting against each other by approaching the Supreme Court to settle matters. He said : “This disunity, this conflict among the people of the same country! How can we take the country forward? And that is why, I have started making efforts for razing those walls; I have started making efforts at making the Government, not an assembled entity, but an organic unity, an organic entity, a harmonious whole – with one aim, one mind, one direction, one energy. Let’s resolve to steer the country to one destination”. In his magnificent Independence Day address to the nation, the Prime Minister has also expressed his displeasure and discomfort over certain newspaper and media reports and added that, now a days, newspapers arefull of news that, Modiji’s Government has come, officers are reaching office on time, offices open in time, and people get there in time. “A few days back… I observed that India’s National newspapers, TV media were carrying these news items prominently”.
Narendra Modi further said : “As the Head of the Government, I could have derived pleasure in the fact that everything started going on time, cleanliness got the attention, but I was not taking pleasure, I was feeling pained. That thing, I want to tell today in public. And why, because if government officers arrive office in time, does that make a news? And if that makes news, it shows how low we have fallen.
The Prime Minister’s commitment to run the administration more effective is also evident from his words that, “Today, in the face of global competition, when we have to realize the dreams of millions of Indians, the country cannot run on the lines of ” it happens”, ” it goes”. In order to fulfill the aspirations of masses, we have to sharpen the tool called the Government machinery, we have to make it keen, more dynamic, and it is in this direction that we are working”. He is determined to do things on the right way and it is evident from his words : “time has come to give a serious thought to the fact, that whether we have a duty to create India of the dreams of those great people who gave us freedom, whether we have a national character?” The Prime Minister also expressed his discontent over the narrow minded thinking of people by pointing out that, “what does it involve for me?” and when he come to know that it does not entail any benefit for him, immediately he says “why should I bother?”
Narendra Modi said, that “Everything is not for self interest only, that we have to rise above the feelings of : “what does it mean for me” and “why should I bother”. There are certain things which are meant for the country and we have to refine this national character” and instead, we have to think that “I am for nation’s interest and in this field, I am going to lead”. We have to inculcate this sentiment, he added.In a bid to express his discontent on the incidents of rape, the PM said, “we hang our heads in shame”. He added that, the people come out with different arguments, someone indulges in psycho analysis, and said : “I want to ask those parents, I want to ask every parent that you have a daughter of 10 or 12 years age, you are always on the alert and every now and then , you keep on asking where are you going, when would you come back, inform immediately after you reach.
Modi blamed the parents for asking so many unnecessary questions to their daughters, and asked “have any parents ever dared to ask their son as to where he is going, why he is going out and who his friends are”. After all, a rapist is also somebody’s son. He also has parents. As parents, have we ever asked our son as to what he is doing and where he is going ? If every parent decides to impose as many restrictions on their sons as have been imposed on our daughters, try to do this with your sons, try to ask such questions to them.
If somebody tells me that those who have taken guns on their shoulders and kill innocent people are Maoists and terrorists, but they are also somebody’s children. I would like to ask such parents if they had ever asked their children as to why they were taking a wrong path. Every parent must take this responsibility.
Modi, during his address to the nation has also cautiously taken time to give a good advise to the youth of India, who spoil their lives for violence. He said : “I want to say to those youngsters who have chosen the path of violence, that whatever they are and wherever they are, it is all because of ‘Mother India’ only, that they have got it. Whoever you are it is all because of your parents. He further advised the youth : “I want to ask you to think how green, how beautiful and how beneficial this earth can become, if you shoulder the plough instead of the gun which spills blood on this land”.
He also asked the youth, “How long shall we have bloodshed on this land, how long shall we take the lives of the innocent people and what have we got after all this? The path of violence has not yielded anything to us”, In his inspiring speech, the Prime minister in a bid to had also described about his speech during the recent visit to Nepal also. He said : “There I said something publicly to draw the attention of the whole world. There was a time when the Emperor Ashoka who had chosen the path of wars, got converted to the path of Buddha at the sight of violence”.
He further said, “There was a time in Nepal, when their youngsters had opted for the path of violence, but today, I witness that the same youngsters are waiting for their constitution. The same people associated with them are framing the constitution. And I further said that if Nepal could present the best example of moving from the weapons to the books, then it could provide inspiration to the youngsters in the world to abandon the path of violence”.
He has also expressed his discontent and concern sover the communal tension that is prevalent in the country. Narendra Modi said : “for one reason or the other, we have had communal tensions for ages. This led to the division of the country. Even after Independence, we have had to face the poison of casteism and communalism. How long these evils will continue? Whom does it benefit? We have had enough of fights, many have been killed.Modi also said that ‘Our dream is, therefore, of “Digital India”. When I talk of “Digital India”, I don’t speak of the elite, it is for the poor people. You can imagine what a quality education the children in villages will get, if all the villages of India are connected with Broadband Connectivity and if we are able to give long distance education to the schools in every remote corner of the villages.
It is evident from his speech that the Prime Minister is very much concerned about the health of the poor villagers. If we create a network of tele-medicine in the places where there is a shortage of doctors, we can have a clear guideline of the way in which health facilities have to be provided to the poor people living in the remote villages.
The Prime Minister is also keen on introducing the modern system of e-governance and emphasized the need to take the idea of ‘digital India’ forward. E-governance is easy governance, effective governance and also economic governance. E-governance paves the way for good governance. There was a time when we used to say that the railways provided connectivity to the country. Today it is IT that has the potential to connect each and every citizen of the country and that is why we want to realise the mantra of unity with the help of ‘digital India’, Modi added. The prime Minister reminded that the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi falls in 2019, and that it is the duty of each Indian to fulfill his dream of Independent India. Mahatma Gandhi had cleanliness and sanitation closest to his heart. Whether we resolve not to leave a speck of dirt in our village, city, street, area, school, temple, hospital, and what have you, by 2019, when we celebrate 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi? This happens not just with the Government, but with public participation. That’s why we have to do it together, he added.
He has also announced a scheme on behalf of the Members of Parliament- ‘Sansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana’. Some parameters are fixed under this scheme for the development of the villages. He has urged the Members of Parliament to select any one of the villages having population of three to five thousand in their constituency. The parameters will be according to the time, space and situation of that locality. It will include the conditions of health, cleanliness, atmosphere, greenery, cordiality etc. On the basis of those parameters, each of our MP’s should make one village of his or her constituency a Model Village by 2016.
From this historic speech of the Prime Minister, it appears that Narendra Modi is all set to implement all the programs that have been envisaged by him within the time frame. Let his dream of a developed India bear fruit at the earliest, so that all the Indians can feel proud to be a citizen of a Great Country.
