Brothers and Sisters!
ON this day, 75 years ago, India woke to life and freedom. In the words of Jawaharlal Nehru, our first Prime Minister, we made “a tryst with destiny”. Successive governments have done their best to preserve and protect our Constitution; to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity; to spur the growth of our economy; and to provide health, education, jobs and succour to our people. There were, indeed, aberrations and failures; but whenever we stumbled and fell, we picked ourselves up and continued our journey.
Democracy was able to correct our errors and overcome our failures. That is why we renew our pledge, on this day every year, to remain steadfast on the democratic path.
Time for Truth
I have spoken to you on eight occasions from this very spot on the ramparts of the Red Fort. I spoke as Prime Minister and as leader of a party. Today, I wish to strike a different note. While I speak to you as Head of the government, I also wish to speak as a fellow-citizen who understands and shares your sorrows, concerns, hopes and aspirations. Please bear with me while I speak the truth which, in some aspects, is quite painful.
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In the last eight years, my government has made mistakes that have affected our economy. The first mistake was demonetisation. I was advised that demonetisation would eliminate black money, reduce corruption and end terrorism. I did not heed the caution of the Governor of the Reserve Bank. None of the objectives of demonetisation has been achieved. On the contrary, demonetisation set back the growth rate, caused a huge loss of jobs and, above all, led to the closure of hundreds of thousands of MSMEs.
The next mistake were the GST laws that were poorly drafted and hurriedly passed. I wish I had accepted the advice of the Chief Economic Adviser and Opposition leaders and adopted a moderate, single rate of GST. We find ourselves trapped in a law that has vested arbitrary powers in the Central government, created grave mistrust between the Centre and states, caused huge resentment among the business and trading community, and stoked inflation. I realise that I have mounted a tiger that I cannot dismount. I intend to consult renowned economists and Opposition leaders and bring GST 2.0 replacing the present GST.
Will Withdraw from Mistakes
I made other mistakes but, after some resistance, I retraced my steps. My attempt to dilute the new Land Acquisition Act was abandoned in time. Likewise, I realised that the three farm laws were fundamentally wrong and I am happy that I repealed them. There are other mistakes which are powder kegs, such as the National Population Register (NPR), the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the recently announced Agnipath scheme. I assure you that I shall soon withdraw from these misadventures which are polarising the country and promoting conflict.
My fellow citizens! I make a promise that I will not yield to pressure from some quarters to restrict the scope of the Places of Worship Act or introduce a Uniform Civil Code. I promise that I shall re-introduce the Constitution Amendment Bill to provide one-third reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures. I also promise to issue directions to reduce the GST rates, the non-shared cesses on petrol and diesel, and the price of cooking gas.
Bridge the Divide
On past occasions, my ministers and I have made claims about various initiatives that my government had started. I had promised to put Rs 15 lakh in the bank account of every citizen. I had promised that two crore jobs will be created every year. These were election-time jumlas. From this spot, I had claimed that by 2022 the income of farmers will be doubled; that every family will have a house; and that the economy will reach the level of USD 5 trillion. I confess that these are still work-in-progress. I had also claimed that India is Open Defecation Free and that electricity has been provided to every home. These claims were not true. The NFHS-5 has revealed that 25.9 per cent of rural households and 6 per cent of urban households do not have access to a toilet. None of the 30 states surveyed is ODF. A survey conducted by Smart Power India and NITI Aayog in 2020 found that 13 per cent of the population was either not connected to the grid or did not use any electricity at all. I promise to consult the Chief Ministers and announce revised target dates to achieve these goals.
My foremost worry is the growing communal divide. No country can progress until all the people — especially women, Dalits, Muslims and tribals — feel safe and secure and are able to share the fruits of progress. I accept that my party has to shed its prejudices and my government has to do more to put an end to the divisive rhetoric, and finally, punish those who promote hatred, celebrate India’s diversity and pluralism, and make our government and institutions more inclusive and representative of all sections of the people.
Brothers and sisters! Our journey will be a long one. I pledge myself to the service of this great country and for all the people of India, and I appeal to you to join me on this historic journey.
JAI HIND!
