PM Narendra Modi keeps his promise, delivers shortest Independence-Day speech

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on Tuesday from the historic Red Fort on India's 71st Independence Day was his shortest so far in the last four years.

PM Modi this time spoke for nearly 54 minutes while touching a host of issues from terrorism, triple talaq to cow vigilantism and his vision for a 'New India'.

In 2014, PM Modi's speech was 65 minutes long, 86 minutes long in 2015 and, in 2016, it lasted for 94 minutes.

PM Narendra Modi’s predecessor Dr Manmohan Singh had delivered his shortest Independence Day speech in 2005 when he spoke for 50 minutes. Former Prime Minister and BJP veteran Atal Bihar Vajpayee spoke for only 30 minutes on Independence Day in 2002. 

One of the longest speeches on Independence Day was delivered by first Prime Minister of the country Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru spoke for more than an hour addressing the people on country’s first Independence Day celebration.

During his last 'Mann Ki Baat' - a popular monthly radio programme – Modi had admitted that he had received letters from people complaining that his Independence Day speeches were "a little too long". 

Modi in the July episode of 'Mann Ki Baat' had promised to keep his Independence Day speech short.