Prime Minister Vajpayee’s
Independence Day address to the Nation

Sisters, Brothers and
Dear Children,

Accept my greetings on the sacred occasion of Inde-
pendence Day. This is a day of hallowed remem-
brance for us. This is a day of dedication for us.

This year’s Independence Day has special signifi-
cance for all of us. The present century is coming to
an end. The world will have entered the next century
by the time of the next Independence Day.

As we stand at the sunset of the 20th century, and
look back at the events of the era that has passed, we
see the end of colonialism from Indian soil to be the
most important development. Our great leaders, and
many generations of our countrymen, waged a pow-
erful struggle for independence. By doing so, they
paved the way for the independence of other coun-
tries, too. We pay our homage to those self-sacrific-
ing and devoted leaders and patriots who struggled
for freedom throughout their lives, and, when neces-
sary, even laid down their lives as aahuti (offering) in
the great yagya of freedom.

Come, all my countrymen, let us strive to become
worthy heirs to those great leaders. We dedicate
today’s sacred day to their memory.

In the same way, | offer my condolences to the val-
iant jawans, officers and others belonging to the Army
and the Air Force, who displayed magnificent hero-
ism and the spirit of sacrifice in recapturing that part
of our Motherland in Kargil from the enemy. All of us
bow our heads in gratitude for those who were
martyred in the Kargil war.

Almost all our countrymen have seen on television

glimpses of the impossible summits, which our he-

roes overcame and pushed out the enemy. To gain

victory at such heights is not only to surmount the

sky-piercing peaks, it displays the full might of the

jot It is a symbol of the bravery of our Armed
orces.

How can we forget such heroes?

How can we forget those wounded soldiers whose
only wish was: how fast can we get well and rejoin
our battalion to repulse the enemy?

How can we forget the members of the families of
those brave martyrs, who, on receiving the body of
their beloved, said, “We do not have tears in our
eyes, we have pride in our heart”? How can we forget
the mother whose lament was that she had had only
one son, and therefore, could not send another to
fight for our country?

I know that mere words of solace are not enough. We

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have to take concrete measures for the families of
the martyrs and wounded soldiers so that they may
live a life of comfort and dignity. It has been said that
we remember and honour soldiers during a war, and
in the immediate aftermath. But as the days pass, we
forget them. And it is a sad fact that many who sac-
tificed their life and limb in previous wars were often
forgotten. I give you my personal pledge that this will
not happen again.

This Red Fort and its world-renowned ramparts are
not merely a geographical spot. The very heartbeat
of India’s freedom struggle is linked to this fort and
its ramparts. In the First War of Independence of
1857, this is where Bahadur Shah Zafar was held a
prisoner.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose made this very fort the
target of his campaign in 1943 and, blowing the bugle
of Independence, gave the stirring call to his coun-
trymen: “Dilli Chalo, Chalo Lal Kile”

It is from this very fort that our first Prime Minister,
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted for the first time, the
tricolour of Free India in 1947.

More than half a century has passed. Today, we stand
at the threshold of a new era. Come, let us enter this
new era united in step and united in resolve.

When | addressed you from this rampart last year,
there was uncertainty and cynicism in the atmosphere.
: was being asked:
® Will we be able to withstand economic sanctions?
© To what extent will we be able to ward off the
economic crisis, which had struck the Tiger econo-
mies of Southeast Asia?
e Will the Government be allowed to carry on its
work?

Today, speaking to a self-confident India, | declare:

© Sanctions have lost their effect. They have be-
come a thing of the past. We have dealt with them
in such a way that they hardly had any effect on
our economy;

© We kept the South-east Asian economic crisis at
bay;

e Yes, the Government was brought down, but the
country was not. It continued to march ahead, ful-
filling the mantra of Charaiveti, Charaiveti (Move
on, Move on). The Government continued to dis-
charge its duty.

© Most important, a war was imposed on us.

We have not just triumphed over difficulties, we have
achieved much. In spite of obstacles that were put in
our way,

See PRIME MINISTER'S ADDRESS Page 10
INDIA NEWS ¢ August 15,1999 9