In his combative 103-minute Independence Day speech, his longest to date, Prime Minister Narendra Modi advocated self-reliance to negotiate the choppy global waters ahead in the wake of the peak 50 percent tariff on Indian products recently announced by US President Donald Trump. Modi reiterated his appeal to promote swadeshi as a national pursuit to combat economic imperialism. Claiming that he stood like a wall against external policy interventions harmful to farmers and fishermen, he philosophically said India must extend its own line of progress instead of concentrating on others’ limitations. In a world of rising economic self-interest, the focus must be on strengthening India’s capabilities, expanding opportunities and empowering citizens, he said. Coming as it did amid maverick Trump’s economic coercion, the speech indicated a strong will to fight back and maintain sovereignty in decision making.
More on the economic front, Modi promised to boost consumption through lower taxes and keep a lid on inflation. The geopolitical squeeze prompted the announcement of a taskforce for next-generation reforms to evaluate all current laws, rules and procedures related to economic activities within a set timeline. It’s expected to cut compliance costs for startups, smaller enterprises, and entrepreneurs; provide freedom from the fear of arbitrary legal actions; and enhance the ease of doing business. Another box ticked was the immediate launch of a ₹1-lakh-crore job scheme benefiting about 3.5 crore youth in the private sector, with a monthly payout of ₹15,000.
Modi also hailed the BJP’s ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, for completing 100 years of service, possibly to keep his core constituency in good cheer. Amid the raging controversy over alleged disenfranchisement in Bihar through a special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls ahead of the state election, the Prime Minister flagged the imminent danger of demographic imbalance due to ‘infiltration’ and illegal migration in border and tribal areas. He announced the setting up of a high-powered Demography Mission to deal with the issue in a time-bound manner. One hopes the new mission would avoid the SIR’s pitfalls and function transparently, more so because it could have a bearing on the 2029 general elections.