PM Modi appeals to oppn to help implement women quota, warns against 'dimagi Naxals'

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged all parties to support the implementation of women's reservation in Parliament and state assemblies without making it a political fight, and called upon the youth to assume leadership roles across society and the economy towards the dream of making India developed by 2047.

In his 13th consecutive Independence Day address to the nation, the prime minister also hailed the elimination of Naxalism from the country but cautioned against lowering the guard, saying "armed Naxals may have gone, but dimagi (intellectual) Naxals are lurking around".

In his 75-minute speech on the country's 80th Independence Day, Modi listed seven streams (saptadharas) -- manufacturing, power, agriculture and food processing, technology and innovation, gatishakti, defence power, green economy and blue economy, and soft power -- to drive India forward and take the nation to greater heights.

The prime minister called for developing a vibrant and strong civil defence infrastructure and pitched for making India a global hub for defence manufacturing, placing special emphasis on self-reliance in advanced capabilities such as hypersonic technology and drone systems.

He also promised to provide free online coaching for various exams, as he rued coaching classes becoming a burden for the poor and the middle class.

"Keeping the concerns of poor and middle-class families in mind, we want to help save them the thousands of crores of rupees they spend on coaching. Our young people should be able to stay close to their families, receive their care, and avoid placing an additional financial burden on them," he said.

Modi said India is a strong contender to host the 2036 Olympics. To ensure that the country has a strong presence in the mega event, a nationwide talent hunt would be launched to identify prospects in the age group of 5 to 15. He called for expanding into sports disciplines where the country has not been qualifying so far.

Highlighting the strides the country made during his tenure, he said India has transformed from 'Fragile Five' to the world's fastest-growing major economy in the last 12 years.

Modi also warned that the weaponisation of resources and strategic sea routes by some countries posed risks to India's economic security, calling for greater self-reliance in energy to reduce the country's vulnerability to overseas supplies.

He said India needed to strengthen domestic capacity in critical areas, including energy and minerals, as geopolitical tensions increasingly exposed the risks of dependence on external sources.

Modi also said India has taken a step towards becoming self-reliant in the nuclear power sector, with the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, attaining criticality this year.

"Energy security is today's need, and that's why we have already taken steps in this direction. We have passed the SHANTI Act in Parliament and set a target of achieving 100 GW nuclear power by 2047," he said. India has also set a target of setting up five new nuclear reactors.

The prime minister said "misinformation" was being spread by some people during the Covid-19 pandemic, by saying India won't get vaccines. He added that as the West Asia crisis happened, "some people tried to scare us that we will not get petrol, diesel or LPG".

"Due to our measures there is no shortage of gas, fuel, urea in the country today. We proved naysayers wrong by ensuring sufficient energy supplies during West Asia crisis. Some people weaponised systems at their disposal during times of crisis, but our self-reliance helped us," he said

The prime minister exhorted Indians to dream big to achieve the goal of a developed India by 2047, saying the world will be forced to look at the country differently as "we work towards achieving this dream".

He said Vande Mataram echoed from the ramparts of Red Fort for the first time since independence. Stressing on the dream of a 'Viksit Bharat', he also paid rich tributes to freedom fighters, including Mahatma Gandhi, and remembered their sacrifices.

On the issue of implementation of women reservation, which has been a political flashpoint between the government and the opposition since a delimitation-linked constitution amendment bill was defeated in Parliament in April, Modi said, "Standing here today beneath the tricolour on the ramparts of the Red Fort, I appeal to and urge all the political parties of the country: come and venerate the women power."

"Come forward to honour women and ensure that our mothers and sisters secure 33 per cent representation in the Legislative Assemblies and the Lok Sabha as soon as possible. Let them contribute to shaping India's policies. You may take the credit, you may claim the accolades, but please grant our mothers and sisters their due rights," he said.

Modi said the matter has been stuck for 40 years due to political wrangling.

On Naxalism, he said individuals with Maoist mindset had entrenched themselves within the corridors of power in the country for decades.

"We have succeeded in eliminating armed Naxals in the forests and freeing the nation from that crisis. However, while the armed Naxals are gone, 'dimagi Naxals' are still lurking around, and those who harbour this mindset are waiting for an opportunity," he said.

"They are employing various tactics to drag society down the wrong path. We must identify these 'Dimagi Naxals.' We need to isolate them and align the nation's youth with the mainstream effort to transform the country into a developed nation," he said.

In the past, the prime minister has used the term 'urban naxals' for such people.