August 15, 2019 is India's 73rd Independence Day. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a speech at the Red Fort in Delhi. On August 15, 1947, India became independent and broke away from British colonial rule.

According to the Times of India on the 15th, Modi's speech covered topics such as the abolition of Article 370 of the Constitution (the special status of Indian-controlled Kashmir), floods and water source protection, the revitalization of China's tourism industry, infrastructure investment and the expansion of overseas business activities.

According to the Hindustan Times on the 15th, Modi emphasized in his speech that day that the government led by him had achieved many "first" achievements within the first 10 weeks of his second term in office.

However, on the same day, Major General Asif Ghafoor, chief spokesman of the Pakistan Armed Forces, said on Twitter that three Pakistani soldiers and five Indian soldiers were killed in cross-border exchanges of fire in the disputed Kashmir region, one of the deadliest clashes between the two armies this year. "Intermittent exchanges of fire continue," he said on Twitter. The Indian Army has not responded to this so far.

Boasting of "doing great things" in the first 10 weeks after taking office

Modi tried hard to find a "reasonable explanation" for this action when talking about the abolition of the special status of Indian-controlled Kashmir. According to India Today on the 15th, he said that the spirit of "one country, one constitution" has been realized and India is proud of it. He believes that the relevant measures have realized the dream of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the leader of the Indian independence movement, "One India, Great India". Patel is one of the former leaders of the Indian National Congress and served as the first deputy prime minister and interior minister after India's independence.

India's NEWS18 news network reported on the 5th of this month that Kapil Sibal, the leader of the Indian National Congress in the Indian Rajya Sabha, had previously said that Patel had intended to hand over Kashmir to Pakistan when he was the interior minister, which had caused great controversy between India and China.

In his speech in China on the 15th, Modi responded to the criticism of the opposition, saying, "Since Article 370 is so important, why is it (provided in the Constitution) non-permanent?" He praised himself and said that the abolition of Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution regarding the special status of Kashmir was an "important measure" achieved within the first 10 weeks of his second term.

Rahul Gandhi, an important figure in the Indian National Congress, criticized earlier that the abolition of Article 370 was an "abuse of power" and the imprisonment of local elected members was "unconstitutional." Earlier, according to Al Jazeera on the 10th, the Indian authorities had detained more than 500 local politicians in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

In his speech, Modi continued to use "national integration" as an excuse to justify the abolition action. He emphasized that the policy of goods and services tax has achieved "one country, one tax", and the energy sector has also achieved "one country, one standard."

However, Muslims, who make up the majority of the population in Indian-controlled Kashmir, disagree. Lianhe Zaobao reported that this group generally believes that the Indian government's move to abolish Article 370 is to gradually dilute the Muslim population in Kashmir to a minority. In response, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan fiercely criticized on Twitter that India was "changing" the status of Indian-controlled Kashmir through "ethnic cleansing."

Citizens are encouraged to travel to 15 Chinese attractions

In his speech that day, Modi focused on the country's vision for the second term (2019-2024) for five years. Modi said that in the past five years, rural India has developed greatly, and in the next five years, the Indian government will invest 100 trillion rupees in infrastructure construction.

Modi called on Indian citizens to take responsibility and have a common dream. "It is possible to achieve an economy of $5 trillion in 2024," he also promised to further promote electronic payments in China. He said that the world recognizes India's economic growth, today's Indian government is stable, and the world is eager to explore trade with India.

However, according to an article in the Nikkei Asian Review on the 14th, the Modi government is currently facing the challenge of slowing economic development.

Modi specifically mentioned the tourism industry. Modi believes that India still has huge room for improvement in the tourism industry and encourages people to travel to different places in India and China. Modi said, "I know people go to different countries for vacation, but can we think about going to at least 15 tourist attractions in India and China before 2022, the 75th anniversary of our independence?"

Modi also talked about abolishing the old custom of "divorcing a wife after three divorces", saving water and reducing the use of plastic bags, actively responding to population explosion, combating corruption, and announcing the establishment of a Chief of Defense Staff to command the three armed forces. Modi also expressed his condolences to the people who died in floods in various parts of India in recent days, and guaranteed that the central and local governments would provide sufficient support to the victims. (Xu Zhenhua, intern reporter of The Paper)

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