Eight iconic Independence Day speeches delivered by India's Prime Ministers

    Yahoo India
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    Lal Bahadur Shastri:

    PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s death on 27 May 1964 while in office, left a void which Lal Bahadur Shastri, freedom fighter and senior leader of the Indian National Congress attempted to fil. Though his diminutive stature was taken as a weakness, he proved to the world that he was much more, when he led India to a ceasefire with Pakistan, where India had the upper hand. Addressing the nation on Independence Day 1965, Shastri said, “Kashmir is being attacked and I know that Pakistan intends to escalate the tension. But, we will fight weapons with weapons.” Shastri, who coined the slogan, Jai Jawan Jai Kisan, said took over at a time when India was facing a major shortage of food. In his speech, he also stressed on the need to visit farms and villages and create a revolution among farmers to maximise production.

    As a nation, we have come a long way since Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his iconic speech from the Red Fort on August 15, 1947 – the day India was born. While evoking the freedom struggles and sacrifices of our freedom fighters, the speeches, over the years, have focused on a number of issues ranging from poverty and social equality to development and conservation.

    As India prepares to celebrate the 73rd Independence Day on August 15th, here are some of the most iconic speeches delivered by our Prime Ministers from the ramparts of the Red Fort: