Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised an Independence Day speech under 50 minutes this year. He went just over at 54 minutes. Today’s address to the nation from the Red Fort was the Prime Minister’s shortest so far in the last four years.
During last month’s Mann Ki Baat — his radio programme – PM Modi had said he had received letters from people complaining that his Independence Day speeches were “a little too long”. He had then promised to make a shorter speech.
At 54 minutes, PM Modi’s address today was the shortest by far since his first speech from the Red Fort in 2014; his Independence Day addresses had been getting longer by the year.
PM Modi had spoken for 94 minutes last year, 86 minutes in 2015 and 65 minutes in 2014. He had asked people to send in suggestions for this year’s speech and he received more than 8000.
