Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his 79th Independence Day address from the Red Fort, called on the nation to rise above global economic challenges, stressing the need to focus on strengthening India’s own capabilities rather than dwelling on crises.
Quoting a Hindi proverb, he said, “Kisi doosre ki lakeer chhoti karne ke liye, apni oorja hamein nahi khapani hai. Hamein poori oorja ke saath hamari lakeer ko lamba karna hai” — meaning India should channel its energy into expanding its own strengths rather than undermining others.
“Today, when economic selfishness is rising in the global scenario, it is essential that we do not sit crying over these crises. If we move forward with courage, no selfishness can entangle us,” PM Modi declared.
During his speech, he hailed the success of Operation Sindoor, an armed forces mission targeting terror sites deep inside Pakistan in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack, where militants killed civilians after asking their religion. “From the ramparts of the Red Fort, I salute the heroes of Operation Sindoor. Our brave jawans punished the enemy beyond imagination,” he said.
The Prime Minister also called the Indus Water Treaty “one-sided” and unjust to India, asserting that the country and its farmers have exclusive rights over its share of the Indus river waters. “The rivers of India were irrigating the enemy country while our farmers were deprived of water. Blood and water will not flow together,” he said, stressing that national and farmers’ interests would never be compromised.
