Social reform & reconstruction

PM's speech focuses on advice for citizens

Much was expected from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence. While in the past Independence Day speeches have served as a map to government action in the coming years, Mr Modi’s unique ability to connect with the Indian electorate on any given occasion has meant that his speeches from the ramparts of Red Fort are often dominated by reminders of how Indians can live up to their requirements of citizenship or justify the sacrifices of their forebears. Monday’s speech was no different; the prime minister outlined, for example, five principles for Indians: Moving forward towards a “developed India”; removing all traces of “servitude”; taking pride in the country’s legacy; unity; and a sense of duty. Clear signs of the government’s social priorities can be seen in these principles.

Some references in the speech, however, might need closer examination. For example, the idea that the government’s new mantra of “self-reliance” amounts to little more than import substitution — old-style “swadeshi” — has been downplayed by senior officials. Yet so many references to self-reliance in Mr Modi’s own speeches tend to be centred around the targeted reduction in imports, whether through policy or voluntary consumer choice. The reference to the toy industry in the speech on Monday was no exception. The government, in fact, has been discouraging imports in various sectors through higher tariffs and other means. The prime minister also reinforced the sense that the government now sees the battle against climate change as more than just an existential need but also an essential source for growth in jobs. Similar faith is being pinned on the digital transformation, with the spread of 5G and the optical fibre network being highlighted as a future enabler of entrepreneurship and employment.

Yet there is no doubt that the agenda for the speech was to double down on social reform and reconstruction of various kinds. Many will be pleased that one major focus of the speech was female leadership and empowerment. This is critical and the government will need to make a concentrated effort as India’s female labour force participation is one of the lowest in the world. Other such exhortations fell more squarely into the traditional outlines of the electoral pitch that Mr Modi and his party make regularly to the electorate — for example, the call to end “nepotism” and dynasty, or to shun those convicted of corrupt practices. Also of interest was the strong implication that giving any credence whatsoever to criticism or comment from abroad negates the achievements of Independence; and that India, as the mother of democracies, is above such commentary anywhere. India’s founding generation, which did indeed look at global understandings of the developing democracy while denying it was the source of the Indian republic’s legitimacy, would have seen this somewhat differently.