Independence Day: Modi's First Speech From Red Fort

Modi also declared 'Swantrata Diwas' as a Mahotsav or mega festival, which lead to a six-day programme every year, including police parades, children's festivals, cultural programmes, display of military arms and artillery.

PM could end Red Fort's monopoly as the venue for the I-Day addresses. Besides, Modi started the practice of launching projects worth 5 crore in a chosen district every I-Day. These celebrations were held in Anand, Himmatnagar and Dahod in subsequent years. In 2007, just before the state assembly elections, he took the celebrations to his home turf Mehsana for the first time.

In 2008, after winning the elections, Modi insisted on holding the celebrations in Banaskanta, known for its significant tribal population and cattle-rearing people. An officer in the Gujarat CMO recalled how Modi's I-Day programmes often gave them sleepless nights. "It was always a two-day programme with several bhoomi-pujans of new institutions, and the choice of the venue was always a surprise — Kheda, a Congress bastion in 2011, or Raj Pipla in 2009." "But Modiji managed to find a Sardar Patel connect with most of the places," he added.

It seems that Modi also believes in symbolism which was evident in 2013, on India's 67th I-Day, at Lalan his 50 minute speech in a College in Bhuj, for the first time slammed the UPA for being a 'fire brigade government' that is selectively active.