On August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to make his eleventh consecutive Independence Day address from the Red Fort, marking a notable milestone in India’s political history. This will make him the third Prime Minister, following Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, to deliver eleven consecutive speeches on Independence Day.
Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, delivered 17 straight Independence Day speeches. Indira Gandhi, who served as Prime Minister from January 1966 to March 1977 and again from January 1980 to October 1984, addressed the nation 16 times, including 11 consecutive speeches.
Modi, who began his series of Independence Day speeches in 2014 with announcements such as Swachh Bharat and Jan Dhan accounts, will surpass the previous record of ten speeches set by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. His first speech, delivered in 2014, marked the beginning of his tenure with several new initiatives.
The longest Independence Day speech before Modi’s tenure was given by Indira Gandhi in 1972, lasting 54 minutes. Nehru’s first speech in 1947 was notably shorter, lasting only 24 minutes.
