Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the Red Fort on 78th Independence Day, in New Delhi, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday targeted the Opposition, claiming that "some people are glorifying" the "termite of corruption" and those unwilling to see progress in the country are "becoming the cause of anarchy".
He did not mention the Opposition by name or provide any specific instance during his 98-minute Independence Day address but said he would never step back from his resolve to take the country forward by winning the hearts of even those who are opposed to progress.
Emphasising that every citizen is "troubled by the termite of corruption" and broken their faith in the system, he said a "new, big challenge" of "some people glorifying corruption" has cropped up despite India having a "great Constitution".
"They are openly hailing corruption. The effort to sow such seeds in the society, the glorification of corruption, the continuous effort to increase the acceptability of the corrupt has become a big challenge for a healthy society," he said. It has become a matter of "great concern" and "great challenge".
"If corruption is glorified, then even those who do not indulge in corruption today feel that it becomes a badge of prestige in the society, it is not bad to go on that path," he said.
Insisting that he would fight the corrupt, he said he knows that he would have to pay a price for this battle and his prestige may be at stake, but national interests are more important than personal prestige.
In an apparent reference to the vociferous campaign by the Opposition, he said some people cannot see progress or think about the welfare of India till their own welfare is not done.
"There is no dearth of people filled with such a distorted mentality. The country will have to avoid such people. When such a handful of people who are immersed in despair, it becomes the cause of destruction, becomes the cause of anarchy, takes the path of anarchy and then the country suffers such a great loss," he said.