Independence Day 2025: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now delivered more consecutive Independence Day speeches from the Red Fort than any leader except Jawaharlal Nehru, creating a new milestone in his decade-long tenure. Speaking for the 12th year in a row on Friday, PM Modi surpassed the previous record of 11 straight addresses set by former prime minister Indira Gandhi.
PM Modi's Run at the Red Fort
The record for the most consecutive speeches from the iconic Red Fort still belongs to Nehru, who addressed the nation 17 times in succession between 1947 and 1963. Indira Gandhi, who served from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 to 1984, spoke on Independence Day 16 times in total, though only 11 were consecutive.
PM Modi first took the podium in 2014 and has maintained the tradition without a break. Last year, he overtook Manmohan Singh’s record of 11 uninterrupted speeches. Singh, who was in office from 2004 to 2014, delivered an Independence Day address every year during his tenure. Other leaders had shorter runs — Lal Bahadur Shastri managed two, Morarji Desai and PV Narasimha Rao each spoke for four years, while Atal Bihari Vajpayee delivered six speeches between 1998 and 2004.
ALSO READ: PM Modi Promises 'Double Diwali' With Next-Gen GST Reforms: All You Need To Know
Known for Lengthy Addresses
PM Modi has also made a mark with the length of his speeches. In 2023, he set a new benchmark for the longest Independence Day address, clocking in at 98 minutes. His 2016 speech lasted 96 minutes, and in 2019, he spoke for 92 minutes. The shortest address of his tenure came in 2017, at 56 minutes.
Before PM Modi, the record for the longest Red Fort speech belonged to Nehru, who spoke for around 72 minutes in 1947. PM Modi first broke that record in 2015 with an 88-minute address. Interestingly, some of the briefest Independence Day speeches, just 14 minutes long, were delivered by Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, and Vajpayee.