Modi exhorts people to work for a Prosperous India

Celebrating 79th Independence Day

- BY S VENKAT NARAYAN OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Addressing the nation on the country's 79th Independence Day on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared: "Today all 140 crore Indians must have only one mantra -Prosperous India." Operation Sindoor, Make-in-India, Self-sufficient India, and tariffs dominated the flavour of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort here on Friday. He spoke for 103 minutes, the longest speech ever delivered since 1947.

Staying true to the spirit of Naya Bharat, or New India, Modi said that India defined a "new normal" in its response to terrorism with Operation Sindoor, the four-day (May 7-10, 2025) military action that blew up nine terrorist training camps in Pakistan.

With equal grit and determination, the country will soon be "unstoppable" in commanding global markets with home-grown products, he vowed against the backdrop of US tariff and penalty threats.

Sporting a saffron pagdi or turban, Nehru jacket, and a white safa scarf with saffron and green borders, Modi spoke forcefully about the April 22 killings in Pahalgam, where, he said, fathers were massacred in front of their children. He said immediately after the deadly attack, he gave the armed forces a free hand to respond.