Threats to Indian sovereignty will be answered with double strength: Modi

In a lengthy speech invoking valour and recalling the contribution of the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) in the freedom movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that his government was committed to taking "big and bold" decisions and that the Indian Army was being modernised as per the vision of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

Modi made the remarks while speaking at the Red Fort, where in a departure from protocol, he hoisted the national flag to mark the commemoration of the 75 years of the establishment of the Azad Hind Sarkar, the government of "free India".

The Azad Hind government was raised by Bose during the freedom movement.

Modi said that "even after 75 years of Independence, Netaji's dreams have not been fulfilled".

He acknowledged that India has "marched several steps ahead" in the years since Independence but maintained that it was yet to reach new heights of glory.

Modi claimed that the NDA government was committed to "achieve this goal" by going ahead with the vision of a new India "at a time when destructive forces are attacking us".

This vision of new India, Modi stressed, is in line with what Bose had imagined.

"It is the duty of every Indian to be inspired by Netaji, to fight such forces, to defeat them, and to contribute to nation building in their full capacity," he said.

The Prime Minister also blamed the previous governments for looking at the country with an "English perspective".

"Our government is changing this," he said, insisting that the country's sovereignty was an important aspect of Bose's vision.

Modi recalled Bose's words: "With the power of weapons and sacrifice of blood, you have to achieve freedom and then when the country will be free, you will have to make a steady army for the nation, whose work will be to protect our freedom".

"Today I can say that India is moving towards the creation of an Army that was visioned by Netaji. Josh, Junoon aur Jazba, these have been parts of our Army for long but now technique and modern weapons and equipments are also being combined with them.

"The strength of our Army has always been for self protection, and it will remain so in the future too," he maintained.

Modi stressed that India has "never been greedy" for somebody else's land.

"This has been our history. But whosoever poses a threat to Indian sovereignty will be answered with double strength. Several attempts have been made in the past four years to strengthen our Army.

"The best technology is being made available to Indian Army. This government has the courage to take big and bold decisions. And this will continue in the future too. From surgical strikes to making the Netaji files public, the decisions have been made by only our government.

The dreams that were envisioned by Netaji have been carried forward only by this government," he said.

Traditionally, the Prime Minister hoists the national flag at the Red Fort on Independence Day, and in a first Modi did so on Sunday because soldiers of the Indian National Army faced trails by the British at Red Fort.

Modi also laid the foundation stone of a museum dedicated to the Azad Hind Fauj at the Red Fort.

--IANS

ss/ksk