Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday delivered a historic 103-minute address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, setting a new benchmark for the longest Independence Day speech by any Indian Prime Minister.
This year’s speech, marking India’s 79th Independence Day, surpassed Mr. Modi’s own previous record of 98 minutes set during last year’s celebrations. Prior to 2024, his longest speech had come in 2016, lasting 96 minutes. His briefest address came in 2017, when he spoke for just 56 minutes.
With this year’s appearance, Mr. Modi also achieved another political milestone—delivering his 12th consecutive Independence Day speech from the Red Fort. This puts him ahead of Indira Gandhi, who gave 11 consecutive addresses, and second only to Jawaharlal Nehru, who holds the record with 17 consecutive speeches from 1947 to 1963.
Mr. Modi’s first Independence Day speech in 2014 ran for 65 minutes. Since then, he has consistently delivered lengthy addresses, often using the occasion to highlight his government’s achievements, announce new initiatives, and outline his vision for the nation.
Here’s a quick look at the duration of Mr. Modi’s speeches over the years:
2014: 65 minutes
2015: 88 minutes
2016: 96 minutes
2017: 56 minutes
2018: 83 minutes
2019: 92 minutes
2020: 90 minutes
2021: 88 minutes
2022: 74 minutes
2023: 90 minutes
2024: 98 minutes
2025: 103 minutes
Prior to Modi, the longest recorded speeches on Independence Day were delivered by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947 (72 minutes) and I.K. Gujral in 1997 (71 minutes).
At the other end of the spectrum, some of the shortest speeches have also come from towering political figures. Nehru spoke for only 14 minutes in 1954, and Indira Gandhi matched that brevity with a 14-minute address in 1966.
Former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee were known for their succinct addresses. Dr. Singh’s speeches in 2012 and 2013 were 32 and 35 minutes long, respectively. Vajpayee was even more concise, with his 2002 and 2003 speeches lasting just 25 and 30 minutes.
As India marches toward its 80th year of independence, this year’s record-setting speech by Prime Minister Modi reaffirms his continued emphasis on direct communication with the public, making the Red Fort not just a symbol of India’s freedom, but also of its evolving political narratives.
