Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the national flag at the Red Fort to mark India's 80th Independence Day on August 15, 2026.
Modi delivered a veiled attack on the opposition, accusing them of spreading fake news and panic during the COVID-19 pandemic and West Asia crisis.
The Prime Minister condemned false predictions regarding vaccine shortages and fuel crises that aimed to keep the country anxious.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the tricolour at the Red Fort on Saturday, August 15, 2026 to mark India's 80th Independence Day. The hoisting of the national flag was synchronised with a 21-gun salute by the gunners of the 1721 Field Battery (Ceremonial).
During his address, Modi took a veiled dig at the opposition. He accused certain individuals of spreading fake news and taking pleasure in frightening the country during the Covid-19 pandemic and the West Asia crisis.
Targeting Forecasters of Doom
Modi said: "The global pandemic had put the entire world in a state of concern. All systems had been disrupted. We came out of COVID, and then news of the devastation caused by wars began to emerge—somewhere in Ukraine, somewhere in West Asia. There was an atmosphere of tension everywhere."
Modi highlighted specific false predictions that aimed to create panic. Modi said: "And who knows what all predictions were made by the so-called forecasters. Some people seemed to take pleasure in frightening the country, keeping the country fearful and anxious. ‘There will be no vaccines, people will not survive COVID, nothing will happen.’ When the West Asia crisis came, they said, ‘There will be no petrol at petrol pumps, no gas, no diesel, no fertilizer."
He added: "By spreading all kinds of rumours, some people seemed to take pleasure in frightening the people of India and keeping them immersed in fear and anxiety."
Resilience and Youth Empowerment
Modi credited the country's successful response to these global crises to a strategic approach. He said: "But the country has seen that the well-thought-out plans of the past 10–12 years are bearing fruit. Despite such major crises, India, living by the mantra of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, took one step after another based on the preparations it had made."
This year's historic event in New Delhi centred around the concept of 'Yuva Shakti' alongside the broader objective of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Expressing faith in the younger generation, including Gen Z, Modi said: "I have faith in the youth of my country, the mothers and sisters of my country, the farmers of my country, and the workers of my country that we can make this dream a reality."
