Senior Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra, who was criticized for allegedly instigating the violence that led to the riots in Delhi in February this year, compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech on May 12 to speeches made by Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Martin Luther King, and Winston Churchill.
Taking to Twitter, Mishra said, “This "Self Dependent India" #AatmanirbharBharat speech by @narendramodi Ji will be remembered the way world remember "I Have A Dream" by Martin Luther King or Swami Vivekananda speech in Chicago or "Do or Die" by Gandhi Ji or "We shall fight on the beaches" by Churchill (sic).”
Notably, Martin Luther King made the ‘I have a dream’ speech in 1963, where he called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States. While Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Do or Die’ speech in 1942 called for the British to Quit India, Winston Churchill’s ‘We shall fight on the beaches’ was delivered in the house of commons in 1940 during World War 2. Swami Vivekananda’s speech at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago, thanks to History textbooks, is only remembered for the opening line where he said, ‘Sisters and Brothers of America.’
Incidentally, both Luther King and Gandhi's speech was 6 minutes long; Churchill's speech in parliament a little over 12 minutes, and Vivekananda's speech was a little over 45 minutes. PM Modi's address to the nation was 33 minutes long.
Mishra’s tweet received a lot of criticism, with people saying that it bordered on ‘sycophancy’. Here's how people reacted
In the main highlight of his speech, PM Modi spoke of the new Rs 20 lakh economic package for a self-independent India. "This is 10 per cent of India's GDP. From tomorrow, everyday FM will address the reforms and it will boost the Make in India initiative," PM Modi added.
While stressing on the importance of fighting the virus, PM Modi spoke of the idea of a self-independent India. "When India speaks of self-reliance, it does not advocate for a self-centered system. In India's self-reliance there is a concern for the whole world's happiness, cooperation and peace," he added.
