Deepak Dwivedi
PRIME Minster Narendra Modi has underlined the urgent need to bring a secular civil code, realise the dream of ‘One Nation, One Election’, and induct fresh blood into the political arena to eliminate India’s caste-based dynastic politics.
His address to the nation on the 78th Independence Day was a reiteration of his commitment to make India Viksit Bharat by 2047 and make hard decisions in his third term.
But this is the first time, PM Modi spoke on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which has been part of the agenda of the BJP since 1989.
His emphasis on the urgency of realising the dream of ‘One Nation, One Election’ is equally significant. This was another BJP poll promise and the idea was fully endorsed by a high-level committee of constitutional experts headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind last year.
Hosting Olympics 2036
The other key issues flagged by the Prime Minister in his address to the nation included Atmanirbhar Bharat, youth skill development, women safety, India’s aspiration to host the 2036 Olympic Games and the Government’s initiatives to mitigate frequent natural disaster incidents induced by climate change.
Launching a frontal attack on the Opposition, PM Modi unequivocally endorsed initiatives launched by Uttarakhand and other BJP-led states to introduce UCC. He reminded the nation that the Supreme Court has repeatedly stressed the need for the UCC as Article 44 of the Constitution includes it as one of the basic principles of the State policy.
“A large section of the country believes that the civil code with which we are living is really a kind of communal civil code, a discriminatory civil code. We have spent 75 years with a communal civil code, now we have to move towards a secular civil code”, the Prime Minister said.
Fresh blood in politics
Empowering youth, women and weaker sections are the key elements of PM Modi’s vision for New India. In this backdrop, his remarks about inducting “fresh blood” into politics acquire special significance. “I want one lakh such individuals, to begin with, whose family members have not been connected with Indian politics in generations. Be it gram panchayats, zilla parishads, nagar palikas, legislative Assemblies or the Lok Sabha, we want such fresh blood in Indian politics so that we can get rid of casteism and nepotism in politics,” PM Modi stressed.
This year’s celebration marks the 11th time PM Modi addressed the nation from the Red Fort on Independence Day. The theme for this year’s I-Day was Viksit Bharat@2047, aiming to drive the Government’s efforts to transform India into a developed nation by 2047.
