On Tuesday, August 15, India is celebrating its 77th Independence Day. The traditional ceremony to celebrate the day was held at the Red Fort in Delhi with PM Narendra Modi unfurling the Indian flag. Several dignitaries graced the event, including many union ministers and the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. However, one chair was conspicuously vacant at the event, the one reserved for Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Congress is the largest opposition party in the Parliament.
The veteran leader, elected Congress President in October 2022, decided to skip the event. This was the first Independence Day ceremony since Mr Kharge became the Congress chief. The chair remained vacant sparking speculations online over the possible reasons behind the Congress president’s decision to give the ceremony a miss.
Meanwhile, PM Narendra Modi unfurled the Indian flag for the 10th time at the Red Fort, and the last tine before he faces Lok Sabha election again in 2024.
Upon his arrival at the Red Fort, PM Modi was received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt, and Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and three service chiefs.
As soon as the national flag was hoisted by the Prime Minister, flower petals were showered at the venue by two Advanced Light Helicopters Mark-III Dhruv of the Indian Air Force.
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 77th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that there is a tremendous opportunity before the country due to the trinity of democracy, demography and diversity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced the launch of the Vishwakarma Yojana with an initial spending of Rs 13,000-Rs 15,000 crore in the next month for those with traditional skills.
At the start of the speech, PM Modi also addressed the recent violence in Manipur and reassured the people of the state that the entire country is with them.
At the time of writing this report, Congress hadn’t issued any official statement explaining the reasons behind the decision, the report will be updated once they issue the same.