PM firm on his political agenda

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday used his 11th Independence Day speech - which lasted a marathon 98 minutes-to convey that in his third term the BJP, despite its diminished numbers and dependence on allies for continuation, would stay on course and pursue its signature projects like adoption of the Uniform Civil Code and embracing the concept of 'one nation, one election'.

- Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

PM Modi, whose I-Day speeches average 83 minutes, touched upon many issues of governance and policy that had been addressed by his government in the President's Address to Parliament and the Union Budget. On the issue of the Uniform Civil Code, the PM said "the Supreme Court has repeatedly addressed the issue and numerous orders have been passed, reflecting the belief of a significant portion of our population- and rightly so that the current code is a 'Communal code, one that is discriminatory.