The last Independence Day address of Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the next General Elections was more of a clarion call for the 2019 General elections. The Prime Minister announced  the launch date for the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Abhiyan health insurance scheme and also that women officers in short service commissions in uniformed services will be eligible for permanent commission similar to male counterparts.

The  82 minutes long marathon speech was not just a report card of his tenure as Prime Minister but also a signal on future priorities if elected back next year.

Announcing that  India will launch its first manned space mission by 2022, which could make it the fourth nation to do so after the United States, Russia and China, Modi triggered excitement in ISRO headquarters where the scientists stopped short of calling the announcement “too ambitious”.

As emphasis shifted to women , the speech dwelt the longest on women and the poor. Waking to the safety of women  Modi decried the “demonic tendencies” of violence against women, and lauded fast track courts handing out death penalties in several cases.

He also announced that women short service commission officers in uniformed forces would get permanent commissions on transparent lines. “I’m proud to say that my Cabinet has the largest representation of women since independence,” he said. He made a special mention of his government’s efforts at bringing a Bill banning the practice of instant Triple Talaq among Muslims.

Prime Minister Modi went political in his address as also emphasised the speed at which his government had moved on basic developmental work . “We have the same people and systems but look at the speed at which things have been done. Achievements of this government have to be weighed in against what went on before, in 2013,” he said, clearly targeting the previous UPA government.

Taking credit for GST and demonetization apart from some anti-corruption measures Modi reassured tax payers that their money was not being wasted in leakages of government funds. The Prime Minister pointed to several pieces of legislation passed by his government to tackle graft. “We have passed the banking reforms bill, the bankruptcy code and the benami properties act. We are a government that has the will to take tough decisions,” he said.

Striking a chord with the middle class taxpayers , Modi said “Our government has added, in the last four years, double the number of direct tax payers from the last 70 years. I want the unsung tax payers of this country to know that my government is committed to ending leakage of public funds, and when you sit down for a meal be assured that a poor man and his family is also getting a meal under welfare programmes funded by your honestly paid tax,” he said.