PM Modi urges for 'self-reliance' amid US tensions, focuses on national security amid backdrop of terrorism

New Delhi: Amidst tariff tensions with the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address on Friday, gave a call for building a “self-reliant” India, while urging the nation to mitigate its foreign dependency on energy, critical minerals and defense sector as reliance on others can bring the country’s "freedom into question".

The Prime Minister also warned of a "deliberate conspiracy" to alter the country’s demography and announced the setting up of a High-Powered Demography Mission to address the changes, especially in bordering districts, that could impact "national security".

Modi's 12th consecutive I-Day address, the longest by any prime minister from the ramparts of the Red Fort, comes in the backdrop of a protracted and acrimonious India-US trade talks, with President Donald Trump slapping a 25% tariff on Indian goods and announcing an additional 25% "penalty" for buying Russian oil, in what is being seen as the mounting White House pressure for access to Indian agriculture and allied markets.

"We will neither stop nor bow down. Self-reliance is not confined merely to imports and exports, or to rupees, pounds and dollars. For a nation, the greatest measure of self-respect even today is its self-reliance," Modi said in his speech that spanned over 100 minutes under an overcast Delhi sky.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspects a Guard of Honour during the 79th Independence Day celebration at the Red Fort, in New Delhi

"India will never accept any compromise regarding its farmers, its livestock farmers, its fishermen," Modi reiterated the no-go areas as India re-negotiates its trade ties with the US.

To strengthen domestic markets in the face of the tariff war, the PM announced a task force for the next phase of reforms to support the domestic manufacturers.

Modi said "Make in India" semiconductor chips would be launched by year's end, as he gave a call for innovation by Indian players in electric vehicles, deep-tech and artificial intelligence.

Referring to the fast-evolving situation where "economic self-interest is growing across the globe", Modi said that "we must strive to enhance our own strength and standing", even as he referred to Operation Sindoor, which could not have been executed with "such swiftness" if the country depended on others for equipment and supplies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with NCC cadets during the 79th Independence Day celebration at the Red Fort, in New Delhi

In an indirect reference to Pakistan’s saber-rattling and its growing bonhomie with the US, Modi called the precision strike on terror targets deep inside Pakistan, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, the "new normal".

"The nuclear blackmail that has gone on for so long will no longer be endured. If our enemies continue this attempt in the future, our army will give a fitting and crushing response," Modi said.

The Prime Minister also expressed concern about the country’s dependency on global markets for its fertilizer needs. Urging farmers to make judicious use of fertilizers, and the private sector to make India fertilizer independent.

Calling upon the people to buy and use "swadeshi” products, he urged all political parties to come together on this issue.

Demography Change

Warning the nation of a "deliberate conspiracy" to change the demography, particularly in border areas, Modi announced the formation of a High-Powered Demography Mission to address "the severe crisis in a time-bound manner".

"These infiltrators are snatching away the livelihoods of our youth. These infiltrators are targeting our sisters and daughters. This will not be tolerated. These infiltrators are misleading innocent tribals and seizing their lands," Modi said.

The announcement on the formation of the mission comes ahead of a bunch of Assembly elections slated for this year and the next, including Bihar, West Bengal and Assam, where the BJP is in a direct contest against the Opposition.

In West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress has accused the BJP-ruled state governments of harassing the Bangla-speaking migrant population under the pretext of a crackdown on illegal immigrants. BJP’s claim is that illegal immigration from Bangladesh and Myanmar has led to job loss.

In Assam, the BJP-led government has announced using a 1950 law to oust “illegal immigrants". The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, ahead of the Bihar polls, has already raised much political heat.