Indian PM Narendra Modi calls on citizens to fight misogyny

PM Modi addressed his nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort. ANI via BBC News

On Monday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the citizens from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort on the occasion of India's 75th birthday.

Upon his arrival at the 17th Century monument, Mr Modi unfurled the national flag and was greeted by a 21-gun salute. As he took to the stage, helicopters flew past, showering flower petals on the flag.

In a speech watched by millions of Indians on live TV, Mr Modi spoke on a plethora of issues, laying out a roadmap for the country's development, calling for an end to misogyny and weeding out corruption and nepotism.

Here are some of the highlights:

'Do nothing that lowers the dignity of women'

In his first Independence-Day speech after taking over as prime minister in 2014, Mr Modi had condemned rapes in India and questioned parents for putting restrictions on their daughters while letting their sons do as they pleased.

On Monday too, he spoke about gender equality and emphasised the importance of treating sons and daughters as equal at home.

"Maybe this is not a topic for the Red Fort, but who else can I share my pain with if not with the people of my country?" he said.

"For some reason, a distortion has crept into our conduct, our behaviour, our words so at times we insult women. Can we take a pledge to stop this behaviour?" he asked.

Paying tributes to several women freedom fighters, Mr Modi said women's role in India's progress was ever growing.

Hailing women's work in judiciary, governance, academics, science and sports, the prime minister said that respect for women was key to India's growth and "we need to support our nari shakti" (woman power).

"For India to achieve the goals envisioned by its freedom fighters in the next 25 years, women have to play a critical role. If we uplift women and empower them, we can achieve our goals quickly and easily.

"The more opportunities we give to our daughters, the more they will take India forward," he said.

Mr Modi's emphasis on gender equality hits all the right notes but critics point out that 75 years after independence, India remains a largely patriarchal society where misogyny is rampant.

Some took to social media to point out the misogynistic comments made by Mr Modi himself or his party members and said that to make India a gender just society, we need much more than lip service. – BBC News