NEW DELHI: Unity among people is as significant for a Viksit Bharat (developed India) today as it was for Swaraj (independence), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, urging people to stay vigilant against those who seek to weaken the country and disrupt its unity.
Paying tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary, observed as Parakram Diwas, Modi said that there is a favourable environment for India’s progress globally, and the world is watching how India makes the 21st century its own.
He stressed the need to draw inspiration from Bose and said, “Today when we are engaged in achieving the resolution of developed India, the legacy of life of Netaji Subhas will constantly inspire us.”
Pointing to the Azad Hind Fauj assembled by Bose for the country’s independence, Modi said that despite speaking different languages, their shared sentiment was the country’s freedom. He added that Bose’s foremost goal was an Azad Hind, and he remained steadfast in his resolve to achieve it.
Modi said Bose was born into a prosperous family and, after clearing the civil services examination, could have been a senior officer under the British government and led a comfortable life, but he chose the path of difficulties and challenges in the quest for independence.
“Netaji Subhas was not bound by the comforts of the comfort zone…Today, we all need to step out of our comfort zones to build a Viksit Bharat,” he said, underlining the importance of becoming globally the best, choosing excellence, and focusing on efficiency.
Modi added that Bose was “very proud of India’s heritage and often spoke about India’s rich democratic history, encouraging people to draw inspiration from it.” He highlighted that India is emerging from a colonial mindset and moving towards development with pride in its heritage.
He called hoisting the Indian flag at the Red Fort on the 75th anniversary of the Azad Hind government an “unforgettable historic” moment. He also noted that, inspired by Bose’s legacy, the government established a museum dedicated to him at the Red Fort in 2019 and launched the Subhas Chandra Bose Disaster Management Awards the same year.
“In 2021, the government decided to celebrate Netaji’s birth anniversary as Parakram Diwas,” Modi said, adding that the installation of Netaji’s statue near the India Gate, naming an island in Andaman after Netaji, and saluting INA soldiers at the Republic Day parade symbolise the government’s commitment to honouring his legacy.
“In the last 10 years, the country has demonstrated that rapid development makes the life of the common man easier and also increases military strength,” Modi said, while mentioning that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has pulled out 25 crore Indians from poverty in the last decade.
Modi said modern infrastructure was being built everywhere, in villages and cities, and there has been an unprecedented increase in the strength of the Indian army and India’s growing role on the world stage.
He expressed confidence that the day is not far when India will become the third-largest economic power in the world and urged everyone to keep working continuously for Viksit Bharat with one goal, one objective, inspired by Bose.
Modi also congratulated the people and the government of Odisha for the grand celebrations of Parakram Diwas in Bose’s birthplace in Cuttack.