The prime minister’s 75th Independence Day address to the nation from the ramparts of Delhi’s historic Red Fort on August 15, was a departure from usual speeches delivered on this day to mark the end of almost two centuries of British rule over India. Unlike earlier speeches that boasted the tremendous progress the country has made since 2014 when the BJP was swept to power in New Delhi and rolling out new development programmes, this year prime minister Modi presented the nation with a roadmap to transform India into a fully developed and prosperous country within the next 25 years when India will celebrate its centenary, i.e, 100 years as a free, self-governing and globally respected nation-state.
The panch pran (five worthy) goals set for the nation to be achieved by 2047 are: to resolutely march forward to transform from a developing to developed nation; shedding all inferiority complex and mind-set of servitude; developing pride in the country’s history and cultural legacy; focusing on developing national unity and strength, and all citizens discharging their duties with honesty. Elaborating, the prime minister exhorted citizens to collaborate with government to stamp out corruption and nepotism, and empower women to attain the panch pran goals.
However, there’s a ring of deja vu about this roadmap. Every prime minister has presented similar development prescriptions to little avail. Because while it’s easy to proclaim lofty politically correct resolutions, translating them into effective programmes is an altogether different proposition.
For instance, the first of the five goals to transform India into a developed country within the next 25 years requires careful drawing up of priorities and detailed projects planning. Whereas your editors say that India rising is impossible without thorough overhaul and upgradation of the education system from KG-Ph D, BJP governments at the Centre and in states pay scant attention towards greater provision for and reforming education. On the contrary, they are more focused on rewriting history from the hindutva perspective and mixing mythology with history.
Likewise, the third goal of developing pride in the country’s history and cultural legacy suggests a coded message to the Hindu majoritarian ruling party to propagate hindutva ideology and nostrums. Ironically, the prime minister’s advice to the public to empower and respect women coincided with the remission of life sentences awarded by a special CBI court to 11 convicted criminals involved in the heinous 2002 gang-rape of Bilkis Bano and murder of her 14 relatives in the prime minister’s bailiwick state of Gujarat.
Undeniably, it is the prime minister’s duty and obligation to set lofty goals for development and progress on national occasions such as Independence and Republic days. But lofty vision needs to be implemented through actionable ground-level programmes. Mere high-sounding rhetoric contradicted by official acts of commission and omission, disseminates cynicism and demoralisation within the citizenry.