Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his 2026 Independence Day address from the Red Fort on Saturday, speaking for 75 minutes as India marked its 80th Independence Day. The speech was his shortest Independence Day address in four years and came a year after he delivered his longest-ever address from the historic venue.
Since 2014, Modi has delivered 13 Independence Day speeches from the Red Fort. His addresses have varied significantly in duration. He spoke for 88 minutes in 2015, 96 minutes in 2016, 56 minutes in 2017, 83 minutes in 2018 and 92 minutes in 2019. His 2020 and 2021 speeches lasted 90 and 88 minutes respectively, while the 2022 address lasted 74 minutes.
Modi had earlier surpassed the durations of Independence Day speeches delivered by former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Inder Kumar Gujral. Nehru’s 1947 Independence Day address lasted 72 minutes, while Gujral spoke for 71 minutes in 1997. Modi’s 88-minute speech in 2015 exceeded both durations.
The Prime Minister additionally urged young people to participate in the Census and highlighted opportunities in technology, research and innovation. His emphasis on youth came amid recent student protests over competitive-examination reforms and demands for greater accountability following the NEET-UG paper-leak controversy.
