Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, said that the “path for solution in Manipur will be found through peace” and assured the people that the Union and state governments are making all efforts to restore peace.
Addressing the nation from the historic Red Fort in his last Independence Day speech before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Modi spoke about the cycle of violence in Manipur, which resulted in killings and atrocities against women. He assured the people that the country stands with Manipur and that normalcy is returning to the state.
After unfurling the national flag at the Red Fort, PM Modi, in his Independence Day speech, paid tribute to freedom fighters for their sacrifices. He talked about India's "enslavement", which started 1,000-1,200 years ago due to a "small incident".
"Back then, we didn't know that a small incident could enslave us for a 1,000 years... whoever came, looted us," he said. "In 1947, the country became independent... after 1,000 years, we were free."
Modi said India is now the biggest democracy in the world, and is lucky to have “demography, democracy and diversity”. He added that he believed in the power of India's youth to bring about revolutionary changes, and that the youth has made the country proud by excelling in the startup ecosystem.
Recalling the G20 Summit in Bali last year, Modi said that the leaders of major developed nations of the world wanted to know in detail about Digital India.
He also said that a “new world order” emerged after the Covid-19 pandemic. "India has become voice of global South. Its prosperity is becoming an opportunity for the world. We are bringing the promise of stability to the world," he said.
The government has invited around 1,800 special guests from across the country to attend the programme. Seventy-five couples from each state and Union Territory, in their traditional attire, have been invited to witness the ceremony.
Sarpanches of vibrant villages, nurses, fisherfolk and labourers engaged in the construction of the Central Vista project are also among the special invitees.