From good governance to great aspirations: Modi's Independence Day leap

ELEVEN years into power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is no longer just the steward of a reformist government — he is positioning himself as the architect of a developed Bharat.

- Amit Malviya

His 12th Independence Day address from the Red Fort was not a routine recital of achievements; it was a roadmap for the next quarter-century, anchored in the belief that India can and must aim higher.

Modi is tapping into the nation's collective yearning to be more than a "fast-growing economy" — setting bold markers for a fully developed country by 2047, with a $10 trillion economy as the headline target.

For voters accustomed to stability and growth, he offered a direct answer to the question: what next?

This year's 103-minute address — the longest in India's history — turned the Red Fort into a launchpad for Bharat's next leap.

The announcements cut across military strength, economic reform, technological ambition, and youth empowerment, signalling that the next stage will be about creating change, not just managing it.

He began with a salute to Operation Sindoor, hailing the armed forces' decisive strikes as proof of India's military resolve and sending a blunt warning to adversaries.