NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday addressed the nation from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort in Delhi as the country celebrated its 80th Independence Day.His 75-minute speech featured nearly 40 mentions of “Mere pyare deshwasiyon” (my beloved fellow citizens), making it the most-used phrase in his address.“Saathiyon” (friends) was the second-most used phrase, featuring 10 times in the speech.He also used “mere pyare yuva” (my beloved youth) once while calling on young people to join the fight against drugs and other addictions.The prime minister also used “desh sevak” (those who serve the nation) and “bhai beheno” (brothers and sisters) once each.Over the years, “deshwashiyon” (fellow citizens) has remained PM Modi’s go-to term for addressing the nation during his Independence Day speeches. He used the term 50 times last year, around 30 times in 2024, nearly 15 times in 2023 and more than 40 times in 2022. In 2023, however, his preferred form of address was “parivaarjan” (family member), which he used around 50 times.“Saathiyon” has also featured regularly in his Independence Day speeches. Modi used the term around 35 times in 2025, nearly 30 times in 2024, about five times in 2023 and approximately eight times in 2022.
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Meanwhile, the prime minister’s 2026 Independence Day speech was the fourth-shortest among his 13 consecutive August 15 addresses since his first in 2014. Saturday’s address was also his shortest in four years.His 2025 speech was his longest at 103 minutes, surpassing his previous record of 98 minutes in 2024. His shortest Independence Day address came in 2017, when he spoke for 56 minutes.PM Modi’s first Independence Day address in 2014 lasted 65 minutes. Since then, his speeches have ranged from under an hour to more than 100 minutes. He spoke for 88 minutes in 2015, 96 minutes in 2016, 83 minutes in 2018 and nearly 92 minutes in 2019.His address lasted 90 minutes in 2020, 88 minutes in 2021, 74 minutes in 2022 and 90 minutes in 2023.(With PTI inputs)
