NEW DELHI (TIP) In line with the “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to wear a white safa with tricolor stripes and a long trail for his 76th Independence Day look.

Speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of the 76th Independence Day, the Prime Minister rolled out five pledges for the country to follow going into the next 25 years of freedom, the pledge of a developed nation, of shunning the mindset of servitude, of taking pride in roots; of unity and of a sense of duty among citizens.

The PM hailed the occasion as a major milestone in the journey of aspirational India and launched his most scathing attack ever on corruption and nepotism, seeking people’s cooperation to clean up the society. He described graft, dynastic politics and nepotism as top challenges facing India and said the government was at a decisive stage in the fight against corruption. The remarks, that came in the midst of active Enforcement Directorate action against a host of politicians, including Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul in the National Herald matter, were qualified with even more stringent statements where the PM said corruption was eating into India’s vitals like termite and asked for social hatred for perpetrators of graft.

“The country will have to fight corruption. We are trying hard so that those who looted the country are made to pay back. Until society develops a sense of hatred towards corruption and the corrupt, until people learn to start looking down on the corrupt, this mindset is not going to end,” said the Prime Minister, flagging nepotism not just in political circles but across all segments of work life. Laying the roadmap for the future, the Prime Minister said the way ahead for India was through “Jai jawan, jai kisan, jai vigyan and jai anusandhan”.

While the first two slogans “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” were given by late PM Lal Bahadur Shastri, “Jai Vigyan” was coined by Atal Behari Vajpayee. PM Modi today added “Jai Anusandhan” saying the government was strengthening research frameworks—from the oceans to space—to give wings to the aspirations of India’s youth.

Not only did the PM speak of the need to remain aware of the challenges of climate change in times of shock weather events, he called upon all to ensure that the dignity of women was maintained.

Emphasizing Nari Shakti, the PM said, “It is important that in speech and conduct, we do nothing that lowers the dignity of women.” The PM also said that the goal of self-reliance was not a government programme but a collective urge. ”Atmanirbhar India is not a government programme. It is a collective national campaign and we have to together move towards this goal,” he said, adding that India can show the world the solution to the problem of global warming because Indians see God in nature, in stones, in trees and treat rivers as mothers.

The thrust of PM’s ninth straight address from the Red Fort on August 15 was a focus on making India a developed country. Everything else that he stated—from the pledges he gave to his clarion call against corruption and the corrupt—fitted into the larger narrative of developing India.

”India is a ray of hope for the world. The way the world is seeing India is changing. There is hope from India and the reason is the skills of 130 crore Indians,” said the PM, noting that in Amrit Kaal (the next 25 years of freedom leading up to 2047), we have to come together and work towards another big goal of a Viksit Bharat (developed India).

India’s strengths, the PM said, were diversity and democracy. “Being the Mother of Democracy gives us the inherent power to scale newer heights,” said the PM, describing the day as a pious landmark, an occasion for fresh and loftier resolutions. The August 15 ceremony is particularly significant this year as it marks the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, with the government launching a host of exercises to add to the verve around the celebration.

(With inputs from TNS and PTI)