PM’s ‘last’ address a test of citizens acumen
This being the last address from the ramparts of Red Fort before the next Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi converted it into an occasion of mass appeal and declared that he would be back in power in 2024 It was Sandesh from Red Fort to Manipur and Red Fort to 140 cr “Parivarjan.”
From his original style of addressing the people as ‘Mere Pyare Deshvasiyon,’ Modi this time chose to emphasise on the word ‘Parivarjan’ and he fully utilised the occasion by playing on that word to present the 10 year progress card of his government. Trying to touch an emotional chord, he said he was presenting his report of achievements keeping the national flag as witness.
A jadugar of words, Modi said, “My dear family members, when we came in 2014, we were at number 10 in the global economy and today the efforts of 140 crore countrymen have paid off that we have reached number 5 in the world economy. And this has not happened just like that when the demon of corruption was gripping the country, scams worth lakhs of crores were rocking the economy; We stopped the leakages, created a strong economy, we tried to spend maximum money for the welfare of the poor. This is how he took on the opposition Congress party without naming them.”
In a strategic manner, he started his speech with an appeal to people to maintain peace in Manipur and promised to resolve the ethnic crisis in the north eastern state and went hammer and tongs against the opposition Congress. Taking strong jibes at them without naming them, Modi blamed the Congress for all ills. “Party of the family, by the family and for the family is what he called them and said even now they are not able to come out of that syndrome,” he felt. Such party can never strengthen India’s democracy.
He went to the extent of calling dynastic politics as a disease. “Party of the family, by the family and for the family is their Mantra but for the strengthening of the democracy of this country, we must liberate ourselves from nepotism.” His tone and tenor and body language were that of a sharp attack on the opposition and strong appeal to the people to bring BJP led NDA back to power. His message to the nation was that it is going to war between Mazboot v/s corruption.All that is fine and expected. But the unhealthy political trend the country witnessed this time was the absence of Congress party leaders at the Independence Day celebrations.
A seat was kept reserved for the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge. But he skipped on the plea that he was busy with other Independence Day programmes. Probably they expected that Modi would lash at them and did not want to be part of that. It is such acts that strengthen the argument that dynastic parties cannot digest criticism. A leader should have the capacity and patience to hear worst kind of criticism and rebut it from appropriate platforms in the most effective way and turn the tables. The position of leader of opposition is no small post. It would have been better if Kharge had attended the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort.
Modi utilised the occasion to his utmost advantage as he went around the area where students were sitting, shook hands with them and briefly interacted with them. He went out to meet the common people in the invitee’s gallery, shook hands and took petitions. He proved to be best show man. In the past the practice was the PMs would leave the place in their mine proof vehicles soon after the address was over. But Modi wanted to tell the people that he was a mass leader and impress upon them to work for the victory of BJP.