India celebrated 74th Independence Day on Saturday. However, the celebrations were slightly different this year amid the pandemic.
PM Narendra Modi addressed his seventh straight Independence Day speech from the ramparts of Red Fort.
On this day, it is imperative to remember the struggles of the freedom fighters who led the movement to make India a free country.
On the historic occasion, Mahima Shastri, granddaughter of India's former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri posted a picture of her grandfather celebrating Independence Day at Red Fort.
Mahima is the daughter of Neera Shastri who is an ex-member of national executive of BJP and a noted woman rights activist. Neera is the youngest daughter-in-law of Lal Bahadur Shastri.
The second Prime Minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri, was born on 2nd October 1904. A Nehruvian Socialist and lifelong Congressman, Shastri continues to inspire India's farmers and soldiers as he is the man behind the iconic slogan of "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan".
Noted by many to be a soft-spoken and humble, Lal Bahadur Shastri was an important figure during the freedom struggle and rose to prominence after Independence. Under the first Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, he was part of his cabinet and held various portfolios in the Government such as Railway Ministry and Home Ministry to name a few. Shastri became the Prime Minister of India in June 1964 after Jawaharlal Nehru died in while still the PM on May 1964. He became the PM for a period of nearly two years from 9 June 1964 – 11 January 1966.
Shastri died on January 11, 1966, in Uzbekistan's Tashkent, where he signed a peace treaty with the then Pakistan President Ayub Khan. Cardiac arrest is stated as the official reason for his demise.
Addressing the nation on Saturday, Modi made a host of new announcements including the launch of a national digital health mission under which health IDs will be given to everyone, connecting all six lakh villages with optical fibres in 1,000 days and promised the holding of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir after the delimitation exercise is over.
Modi also chose the occasion to deliver a warning to India's hostile neighbours saying the armed forces have given a befitting reply to those who challenged the country's sovereignty "from LoC to LAC" in their own language.
