Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on Independence Day at the Red Fort as “stale, hypocritical, insipid, and troubling”.
In an X post, Ramesh said what is “most troubling” is PM Modi’s praise for the RSS in his Independence Day speech, which he said is a “blatant breach of the spirit of a constitutional, secular republic” and a desperate attempt to appease the Sangh.
“The PM was tired today. Soon he will be retired,” the Congress leader added.
Ramesh feels, “Today’s address was a bland mix of self-congratulation and selective storytelling — devoid of any honest acknowledgement of the deep economic distress, the unemployment crisis, and the glaring and growing economic inequality in our society.”
What did PM Modi say about the RSS on Independence Day?
In his Independence Day address today, August 15, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on its centenary anniversary. He described the RSS as a very proud and glorious journey, and saluted its volunteers for their dedicated service to the nation. He noted the RSS’s 100 years of service as a “proud, golden chapter” in nation-building, highlighting the resolve of “vyakti nirman se rashtra nirman” (character development for nation building) and the dedication of swayamsevaks to the welfare of the motherland.
PM Modi called the RSS, in a way, the “world’s biggest NGO” emphasizing its century-long dedication. He respectfully remembered all the swayamsevaks who contributed to these 100 years of national service from the ramparts of the Red Fort. The Prime Minister also said that the RSS’s service, dedication, organization, and unparalleled discipline are its identity, and that its journey will continue to inspire the country.
Same recycled slogans about Viksit Bharat, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”: Congress
Taking a jibe at PM Modi over his I-day speech, the General Secretary in-charge Communications of Indian National Congress in his X post wrote, “The same recycled slogans about Viksit Bharat, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” have been heard year after year with little to show in terms of measurable outcomes.
The “Made-in-India” semiconductor chip promise has now been made innumerable times — each time with fanfare, each time without delivery. It has in fact been made with a huge lie – which is Mr. Modi’s trademark – given that India’s first Semiconductor Complex was set up in Chandigarh in the early 1980s.”
Rhetoric on protecting farmers has become hollow and unbelievable: Congress
“The rhetoric on protecting farmers has become hollow and unbelievable given his history of attempting to bulldoze the three black farm laws and in the absence of a legal guarantee for MSP, the setting of MSP at 50% over the comprehensive cost of cultivation, or a farm loan waiver. The lip-service to job-creation as a target has also become an empty ritual rather than a credible roadmap,” the veteran Congress leader mentioned.
PM has presided over and engineered the collapse of Election Commission: Jairam Ramesh
Ramesh further wrote, “The PM waxed eloquent on unity, inclusion, and democracy, at a time when he has presided over and engineered the collapse of our most foundational Constitutional institutions like the Election Commission.”
Ramesh also raised the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar and said Modi is yet to answer any of the questions raised by the Leader of Opposition over the credibility of the election mechanism.
Targeting PM Modi, he further wrote, “He has yet to answer any of the most foundational questions raised by the Leader of Opposition over the credibility of the election mechanism, and is going full throttle with a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar which has disenfranchised lakhs of voters. His claims of empowering states ring hollow when the Centre continues to erode federalism, marginalise elected state government, and throttle or topple Opposition-run governments.”