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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivers
his Independence Day speech from The Red Fort in New Delhi, on August 15, 2015
©Prakash Singh (AFP)
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Prime Minister Narendra
Modi warned on Saturday that corruption was eating away at India "like a
termite" as he used an Independence Day speech to pledge his commitment to
eradicating graft and poverty. In an address from Delhi's Red Fort, Modi sought
to silence growing doubts about his leadership after key reforms stalled in a
rancorous parliament session dogged by allegations of corruption involving some
of his top lieutenants. Modi,
who has a reputation as a hardline Hindu nationalist, also warned against the
"poison" of communalism in a wide-ranging speech that lasted for more
than an hour.
But
it was his comments on the dangers posed by corruption that drew most
attention, including his admission that the problem went right to the top.
"I
want to reaffirm that this nation will get rid of corruption. We can rid the country
of corruption, we have to start from the top," said Modi. "Corruption
is like a termite, it spreads slowly, reaches everywhere but it can be beaten
with timely injections."
AFP report continues:
Modi's
speech comes after some of the most senior figures in his Bharatiya Janata
Party became embroiled in corruption scandals, including Foreign Minister
Sushma Swaraj and the chief ministers of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh states.
The
scandals have been particularly embarrassing as Modi's election win last year
was built in part on a pledge to clean up government after a series of scams
under the previous Congress administration.
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People listen to Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi delivering his Independence Day speech from The Red Fort in New Delhi, on
August 15, 2015 ©Prakash Singh (AFP)
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Modi
said there had been no cases of money being siphoned off on his watch and that
a new law on declaring income had led to the disclosure of around one billion
dollars in hitherto hidden assets which will now be liable to tax.
Other
economic reforms however have snagged in parliament, including a national sales
tax that the government sees as crucial to firing up growth.
While
the economy is growing at around 7.5 percent, it still needs to pick up pace to
elevate the hundreds of millions of people still mired in poverty in the
world's second most populous nation.
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Power for villages -
The
right-wing premier, who has been accused of being too close to big business,
portrayed himself as a champion of the poor by promising to help farmers and
lower-caste dalits, formerly known as untouchables.
Modi
set a 1,000-day deadline for every village in India to get electricity, urging
state governments which are responsible for power to ensure every community is
finally linked to the national grid.
"Even
after so many decades of independence there are 18,500 villages in India which
do not have electricity," he said.
"I
appeal to the states and all other stakeholders to connect these villages with
electricity system within 1,000 days."
Frequently
mopping his brow on a swelteringly hot day, Modi said he had striven to enable
170 million people to open bank accounts for the first time under a
government-run scheme.
"The
poor are at bottom of the pyramid of development and we have to strengthen the
base of the pyramid. If they are empowered, no one can stop us," said Modi
who came to power in May last year.
Modi's
first August 15 address from the fort's ramparts drew praise from across the
political spectrum as he tackled issues such as sexual violence and a lack of
toilets.
But
12 months on, problems are mounting up for the usually bullish prime minister
and his opponents were in no mood to be generous this time round.
Manish
Tewari, information minister in the Congress government, said Modi failed to
address the corruption allegations raised in parliament, accusing him of
lacking the "moral authority" to tell his lieutenants to quit.
"He didn't tell the
country in his lengthy speech why the entire session of parliament was
wasted," Tewari told AFP.
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