As the nation eagerly awaits Independence Day celebrations on August 15, the country also looks foward to the I-Day speech delivered by the Prime Minister of the country from rampants of the Red Fort in Delhi. It has been a tradition in India that the Prime Minister addresses the nation on the occasion of Independence Day from the Red Fort. The speeches are both a reflection of the year gone by and the vision for the nation that the Prime Minister shares and articulated on the day to mark India's Independence. Here's having a look at the longest and shortest speeches by Prime Ministers of India over the years.
Longest speeches
India's current Prime Minister Narendra Modi has delivered the longest speeches by a PM on the Independence Day. The longest speech by PM Modi was in the year 2016, when PM Modi addressed the nation for 94 minutes. His other marathon speeches came in the year 2020 when in spoke for 90 minutes, 2019 (92 minutes) and 2015 (88 minutes). PM Modi's shortest speech was in the year 2017, when he delivered the speech for 56 minutes.
Shortest speeches
The shortest speeches delivered by Prime Ministers on Independence Day include former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's I-Day address in 2012 and 2013 which lasted for 32 and 35 minutes respectively. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee too delivered speeches lasting 25 minutes and 30 minutes in 2002 and 2003 respectively, which are among the shortest speeches on Independence Day from the Red Fort.
The Iconic first speech
One of the most iconic speeches to have been delivered on the Independence Day include the very first address to the nation by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru when India attained independence in 1947. "Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny. Now the time has come when we shall redeem our pledge - not wholly or in full measure - but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom," said Pandit Nehru, in words that marked India's freedom from the colonial rule of Britishers.
