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President Droupadi Murmu, in her maiden address to the nation on eve of Independence Day, said that the makers of modern India enabled each and every adult citizen to participate in the collective process of nation-building and asserted that India can be credited to have helped the world discover the true potential of democracy.
"Independence Day is a cause of celebration not only for all of us but also for every advocate of democracy around the world. When India won independence, there were many international leaders and experts who were sceptical about the success of the democratic form of government in India. They had their reasons to be doubtful. In those days, democracy was limited to economically advanced nations. India, after so many years of exploitation at the hands of foreign rulers, was marked by poverty and illiteracy. But we Indians proved the skeptics wrong. Democracy not only grew roots in this soil, but it was also enriched too," said President Murmu in her address to the nation. The President recalled that India adopted universal adult franchise right since the beginning of the Republic and highlighted that India can be credited to have helped the world discover the true potential of democracy. She said, "In most other well-established democracies, women had to wage long-drawn struggles to get the right to vote. But India adopted universal adult franchise right since the beginning of the Republic. Thus, the makers of modern India enabled each and every adult citizen to participate in the collective process of nation-building. Thus, India can be credited to have helped the world discover the true potential of democracy." The President also appreciated the contributions made by father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi towards the country during India's freedom struggle. "I believe this was not a coincidence. At the beginning of civilisation, saints and seers of this land had developed a vision of humanity that was defined by equality of all; indeed, oneness of all. The great Freedom Struggle and its leaders like Mahatma Gandhi re-discovered our ancient values for modern times. Then, it is no wonder our democracy has Indian characteristics. Gandhi ji advocated decentralisation and power to the people," she said. The President said that Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav is dedicated to the people of India. "For 75 weeks now, the nation has been commemorating these noble ideals that won us freedom. In March 2021, we began the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' with the re-enactment of the Dandi March. This way, our celebrations began with a tribute to that watershed event whichhad put our struggle on the world map. This festival is dedicated to the people of India," she said. She said, "Citizens from all age groups have keenly participated in a series of events held across the country. This grand festival is going ahead with the 'Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan'. The Indian tricolours are fluttering in every nook and corner of the country. Great brave hearts would have been thrilled to see the spirit of the Independence Movement coming alive again on such a massive scale." President Murmu is delivering her maiden address to the nation on Sunday on the eve of the 76th Independence Day, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement. Murmu, 64, a tribal hailing from Odisha, took oath as the 15th president on July 25. She is the youngest and first tribal to hold the top constitutional post. She is the first president to be born after independence. (ANI)
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