Modi’s Independence Day speech: What the youth want to hear

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi desperately needs a successful big ticket event to reverse the rapid slide in his popularity ratings. Will Modi’s first Red Fort moment as prime minister do the trick? Both the faithfuls and the sceptics will be keenly watching Modi’s first Independence Day speech in the hope that he will break his silence on a variety of issues that have defined the first 100 days of Modi’s_Sarkar_. A large part of that audience will be the youth, who played a decisive role in Modi’s rise and BJP’s stunning victory. Some among them have already petitioned the PM on what they would like to hear him say.[caption id=“attachment_1664857” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI[/caption] “@PMOIndia: Promise ‘Achche Din’ for women and address the issue of women’s safety in your Independence Day speech" writes 23-year-old Shelly Mahajan in her petition posted on change.org. “The entire world watches the Independence day speech of the prime minister from the Red Fort. If the PM talks about ‘Achche Din’ for women and his plan for it, it will send a very strong message that India has put women’s safety as a top priority,” says Mahajan, asking young people to support her. On university campuses, student leaders who played a significant role in mobilising young people to vote say they would like to hear the prime minister share his plans for India’s youth. “I would like the Prime Minister to outline how he is going to work for the youth of the country and what his vision is. Whatever people say during elections is always different. But now that is he is in power, I wish the prime minister will put forward a road map for sustainable development and a good educational model for the country. Especially in the higher education sector, I would like him to tell us what the government is striving to do,” said SaketBahuguna, a student of linguistics at Delhi University and state secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Urmi Bhattacharya, a PhD student from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) says she would like to hear the PM lay down a plan for developing India’s local resources so that economic opportunities can be created for young people. “A lot of youngsters given the opportunity wouldn’t want to stay in India. I think the prime minister should inspire young people to stay in India so that the best minds don’t leave…I think he should also address the issue of rising crime, especially against women and children. He should encourage more participation and involvement of women in public life," said Bhattacharya. The youth are also keen hear to Modi break his uncharacteristic silence on the spate of the communally charged incidents that have rocked the first three months of the BJP-led NDA regime. “I would to like to hear the prime minister say why he has not responded to a number of serious questions that have been raised in the last few months. Why has the over-sharing Modi suddenly become a control freak?Over 600 instances of communal violence have been reported in Uttar Pradesh in the last three months. But the prime minister has said almost nothing about it. There was a lot of talk of taking everyone along but all that seems to have been forgotten going by the silence of the prime minister,” said Usman Javed, a student at the Delhi School of Economics. Modi’s silence on the day’s burning issues has become a sore point with a lot of young people who they feel that he should use the Independence Day speech to clarify his stand on recent controversies. Says Premjish Achari, a student at JNU’s School of Arts and Aesthetics, “Right now, a lot of disturbing things are going on in our country. Statements by RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat and BJP leaders like Subramanian Swamyare only aggravating communal tensions. The prime minister is silent. This is very dangerous. I would like him to address these issues and take into confidence all sections of society. He does not represent the RSS or the BJP anymore. He is PM of India. “The second disturbing trend is that he is not allowing his MPs and his ministers to speak. This again is a dangerous. We want to know what is going on with the government, the economy, what actions are being taken. That communication is missing.”