NEW DELHI: Delivering a subtle yet strong message to Pakistan in his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the people of India “will never bow to terrorism.’’ Modi also compared and contrasted the drastic difference between India and Pakistan in their attitude towards terrorists and launched a scathing attack on the neighbouring nation.
“Indians cried when children were killed in 2014 terror attack in Peshawar, Pakistan. This is our nature, but look at the other side. They glorify terrorists,” Modi said, underlining the inherent empathy of an Indian.
The Prime Minister also said that Baloch people from Pakistan have thanked him for his firm stand against terror and for highlighting attacks against them by people within Pakistan. “People of Balochistan, Gilgit and PoK have thanked me a lot in the past few days and I am grateful to them,” he said. Without naming Pakistan, Modi said that the country “should look into its own backyard before interfering in other countries”. “India won’t tolerate terrorists being glorified either.’’
Yet again this year, the Prime Minister gave the bullet-proof cover a miss while addressing the nation from the Red Fort. For the third year in a row, Modi chose to deliver his Independence Day address from an open air podium.
The ubiquitous bullet-proof glass enclosure became a permanent fixture during Independence Day speeches from the Red Fort after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984.
In his address, Modi also paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. “It is due to their efforts that we enjoy freedom. Every Indian then worked for their country. Swaraj came with their contributions. Now, converting this Swaraj to Suraj (good governance) should be our goal,” the Prime Minister said.