US President Barack Obama's re-election and his victory speech were
greeted with a thunderous roar not only by the Americans but even in
India. Obama, a master orator with expressive facial mannerism, not only
spoke about the hard-fought election campaign but also explained his
roadmap to take the US out of the financial crisis and ensure that the
country remains at the forefront of technology.
The President of the world's largest economy made sure that he
touched upon every major crisis facing his country, whether it was the
economy, unemployment or the war in Afghanistan during his impassioned
speech. Asking his countrymen to forget the differences between
Democrats and Republicans, he exhorted them to unite and ensure that
America kept on marching ahead.
His speech, televised live all over the world, was a perfect
example of how to get the country behind oneself in pursuit of a common
goal. Not only the real world, but even the virtual world of Facebook
and Twitter reverberated with eulogies of Obama and his superlative
speech.
Now let's travel to the east to India where the country's leaders are
accused of playing to the gallery, skipping important issues, pitting
castes and communities against each other and of not having a national
outlook while making a speech. In the last few years, as Indian polity
has fragmented and become more localised, some of these charges indeed
seem to be true.
Several of our leaders are known to take pot shots at their
opponents without caring for the kind of language used although this is
not an Indian feature and politicians all over the world including
America are known to indulge in such mudslinging. But what is striking
in the speeches delivered by Indian leaders is that they focus mostly on
emotive issues. While some references may be made to the Herculean
problems facing the country, most of the speech is made keeping in mind
the listeners' profile. While India is not short of leaders whose
oratory can spellbound the crowd, even they are mostly known to skip the
bigger picture.
Moreover, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, although not a
professional politician, delivers speeches with a monotonous and robotic
expression unlike Obama, who uses the body language as well as voice
modulation perfectly to charge up his listeners. His bureaucratic
background is perhaps responsible for his fixed gaze and the lack of
body language while delivering a speech. One of the most striking
difference between the speeches of the two countries is that while
Obama’s family is a constant feature and a show os affection is almost
mandatory, Manmohan or for that matter the Indian leaders in general
refrain from making any reference to their relatives
But is a speech only about how it is delivered or is more about
the content? A close scrutiny of Obama's Tuesday nigh speech and
Manmohan's August 15 one shows that while the tone and tenor of
delivering them may be as far apart as the two countries, the content is
almost the same.
Both leaders have talked about the burning issues facing their
respective countries and how their respective governments plan to tackle
them. Fiscal deficit, technological excellence, price rise,
unemployment have figured in the speeches of both Obama and Manmohan.
While Obama's speech was quoted by the twitterati and got record number
of retweets, a overwhelming majority of which were positive, Manmohan is
regularly panned by the Internet users for being too drab and for
speaking too less. The US President's style of delivering a speech can
certainly enthuse the crowd whereas Manmohan's style would remind many
of a boring college lecture where it was too difficult to stay awake.
Even though the content of the two speeches may be meaty, oratory
skills are equally important and here Manmohan and other Indian leaders
have a lot to learn from Obama.
US President Barack Obama's speech in Chicago after his re-election on Tuesday night, as transcribed by Roll Call:
Thank you so much.
Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right
to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves
forward.
It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you
reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the
spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the
great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our
own individual dreams, we are an American family and we rise or fall
together as one nation and as one people.
Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that
while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have
picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our
hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come.
I want to thank every American who participated in this election,
whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very
long time. By the way, we have to fix that. Whether you pounded the
pavement or picked up the phone, whether you held an Obama sign or a
Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a difference.
I just spoke with Gov. Romney and I congratulated him and Paul
Ryan on a hard-fought campaign. We may have battled fiercely, but it's
only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about
its future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family
has chosen to give back to America through public service and that is
the legacy that we honor and applaud tonight. In the weeks ahead, I also
look forward to sitting down with Gov. Romney to talk about where we
can work together to move this country forward.
I want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years,
America's happy warrior, the best vice president anybody could ever hope
for, Joe Biden.And I wouldn't be the man I am today without the woman who agreed
to marry me 20 years ago. Let me say this publicly: Michelle, I have
never loved you more. I have never been prouder to watch the rest of
America fall in love with you, too, as our nation's first lady. Sasha
and Malia, before our very eyes you're growing up to become two strong,
smart beautiful young women, just like your mom. And I'm so proud of you
guys. But I will say that for now one dog's probably enough.
To the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of
politics. The best. The best ever. Some of you were new this time
around, and some of you have been at my side since the very beginning.
But all of you are family. No matter what you do or where you go from
here, you will carry the memory of the history we made together and you
will have the lifelong appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you
for believing all the way, through every hill, through every valley. You
lifted me up the whole way and I will always be grateful for everything
that you've done and all the incredible work that you put in.
I know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small, even
silly. And that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics that tell us
that politics is nothing more than a contest of egos or the domain of
special interests. But if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who
turned out at our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high school
gym, or saw folks working late in a campaign office in some tiny county
far away from home, you'll discover something else.
You'll hear the determination in the voice of a young field
organizer who's working his way through college and wants to make sure
every child has that same opportunity. You'll hear the pride in the
voice of a volunteer who's going door to door because her brother was
finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift. You'll hear
the deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse who's working the
phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this
country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they
come home.
That's why we do this. That's what politics can be. That's why
elections matter. It's not small, it's big. It's important. Democracy in
a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have
our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go
through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it
necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy.
That won't change after tonight, and it shouldn't. These
arguments we have are a mark of our liberty. We can never forget that as
we speak people in distant nations are risking their lives right now
just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter, the chance to
cast their ballots like we did today.
But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes
for America's future. We want our kids to grow up in a country where
they have access to the best schools and the best teachers. A country
that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and
discovery and innovation, with all the good jobs and new businesses that
follow.
We want our children to live in an America that isn't burdened by
debt, that isn't weakened by inequality, that isn't threatened by the
destructive power of a warming planet. We want to pass on a country
that's safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is
defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this -
this world has ever known. But also a country that moves with confidence
beyond this time of war, to shape a peace that is built on the promise
of freedom and dignity for every human being.
We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a
tolerant America, open to the dreams of an immigrant's daughter who
studies in our schools and pledges to our flag. To the young boy on the
south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner.
To the furniture worker's child in North Carolina who wants to become a
doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or
even a president - that's the future we hope for. That's the vision we
share. That's where we need to go - forward. That's where we need to go.
Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get
there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits
and starts. It's not always a straight line. It's not always a smooth
path. By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams
won't end all the gridlock or solve all our problems or substitute for
the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult
compromises needed to move this country forward. But that common bond is
where we must begin.
Our economy is recovering. A decade of war is ending. A long
campaign is now over. And whether I earned your vote or not, I have
listened to you, I have learned from you, and you've made me a better
president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the
White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work
there is to do and the future that lies ahead.
Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected
us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I
am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both
parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together. Reducing our
deficit. Reforming our tax code. Fixing our immigration system. Freeing
ourselves from foreign oil. We've got more work to do.
But that doesn't mean your work is done. The role of citizen in
our democracy does not end with your vote. America's never been about
what can be done for us. It's about what can be done by us together
through the hard and frustrating, but necessary work of self-government.
That's the principle we were founded on.
This country has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what
makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but
that's not what makes us strong. Our university, our culture are all the
envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our
shores.
What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together
the most diverse nation on earth. The belief that our destiny is shared;
that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one
another and to future generations. The freedom which so many Americans
have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as
rights. And among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism.
That's what makes America great.
I am hopeful tonight because I've seen the spirit at work in
America. I've seen it in the family business whose owners would rather
cut their own pay than lay off their neighbors, and in the workers who
would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job. I've
seen it in the soldiers who reenlist after losing a limb and in those
SEALs who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they
knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back.
I've seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York, where
leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their
differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible
storm. And I saw just the other day, in Mentor, Ohio, where a father
told the story of his 8-year-old daughter, whose long battle with
leukemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for health
care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was
about to stop paying for her care.
I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father, but meet
this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd
listening to that father's story, every parent in that room had tears in
their eyes, because we knew that little girl could be our own. And I
know that every American wants her future to be just as bright. That's
who we are. That's the country I'm so proud to lead as your president.
And tonight, despite all the hardship we've been through, despite
all the frustrations of Washington, I've never been more hopeful about
our future. I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you
to sustain that hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism, the kind of
hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks
that stand in our path. I'm not talking about the wishful idealism that
allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight.
I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us
that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something
better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to
keep working, to keep fighting.
America, I believe we can build on the progress we've made and
continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunity and new security for
the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founders, the
idea that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are
or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It
doesn't matter whether you're black or white or Hispanic or Asian or
Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or
straight, you can make it here in America if you're willing to try.
I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as
divided as our politics suggests. We're not as cynical as the pundits
believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we
remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and
forever will be the United States of America.
And together with your help and God's grace we will continue our
journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the
greatest nation on Earth.
Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless the United States.
Full text of PM's Independence Day Speech, 2012:
My dear countrymen, brothers, sisters and dear children,
I greet you all on this anniversary of our Independence.
“The leaders of our freedom movement, under the stewardship of
Mahatma Gandhi, had dreamt of an independent and prosperous India. On
this day in 1947, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru took the first step towards
the realization of that dream by hoisting the Tricolour at the Red Fort.
The journey we began on 15 August, 1947 is now 65 years old. We have
achieved much in these 65 years.
Today is certainly a day to celebrate the success of our
democracy. However, on this occasion we should also introspect about
what remains to be done. We would achieve independence in the true sense
only when we are able to banish poverty, illiteracy, hunger and
backwardness from our country. This would be possible only when we learn
from our failures and build on our successes.
You are aware that these days the global economy is passing through a
difficult phase. The pace of economic growth has come down in all
countries of the world. Seen together, the European countries are
estimated to grow at 0 percent this year. Our country has also been
affected by these adverse external conditions. Also, there have been
domestic developments which are hindering our economic growth. Last year
our GDP grew by 6.5 percent. This year we hope to do a little better.
We cannot do much about the conditions that prevail outside our
country. But we must make every effort to resolve the problems inside
our country so that our economic growth and the creation of employment
opportunities in the country are again speeded up.
When the UPA Government came to power in 2004, we had promised that
we would provide electricity to all villages. To fulfill this promise,
we launched the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme. More than 1
lakh new villages have been provided with electricity connections under
this scheme and now almost all the villages in the country have been
electrified. Our next target is to provide electricity to each and every
household in our country in the next 5 years and to also improve the
supply of electricity.
No praise is high enough for our hard working farmers. They have
produced a record output of crops successively in the last 2 years.
Because of our Government's efforts for development of agriculture and
for protecting the interests of farmers, agriculture has grown at an
average rate of 3.3 per cent in the 11th Plan which is substantially
higher than the 2.4 per cent we achieved in the 10th Plan. In the last 8
years, we have doubled the support prices of crops. We are providing
loans at low interest rates to lakhs of farmers.
Our children are the biggest strength of our country. If our
children are provided with good education and are healthy, then our
future would be bright.
This is the reason why we have paid special attention to the
needs of children in our policies and programms. The education of
children has been made mandatory by law. In the year 2006-07, only 93
per cent of children in the age group 6-14 years were getting admission
in schools. Today almost all children in this age group are being
admitted to schools. More than 51,000 new schools have been opened in
the country and about 7 lakh teachers appointed in them in just the last
2 years. Now we will focus on improving the quality of education. In
the next few months we will put in place a system of continuous
assessment of the benefit our children are getting from teaching.
Participation of the community and parents would be ensured so that they
can be satisfied with the quality of teaching.
The Mid-day-meal Scheme provides nutritious meals in schools for
about 12 crore children everyday. This is the biggest scheme of its kind
in the world. In the last one and half years no new case of polio has come to
light and now India does not figure in the list of countries affected by
this disease.
Malnutrition in children is a big challenge for us. We have taken
steps in many dimensions to deal with this problem. In the last 8
years, the number of mothers and children benefitting from the ICDS has
doubled. The process of making the ICDS more effective is in its last
stages and will be completed in the next 1 or 2 months.
We had launched the National Rural Health Mission in 2005 so that
health services can be extended to each village in the country. Today
this Mission is being implemented with the help of 10 lakh health
personnel including 8.5 lakh Asha workers. After the success of the
National Rural health Mission, we now want to expand the scope of health
services in our towns also. The National Rural Health Mission will be
converted into a National Health Mission which would cover all villages
and towns in the country. We are also formulating a scheme for
distribution of free medicines through Government hospitals and health
centres.
We want to create many new job opportunities for our youth in the
coming years. To achieve this it is necessary that we train them in
skills which our economy needs. It is our endeavour to put in place a
system in which training facilities are available in many new skills. We
also wish to provide short duration training courses of 6 weeks to 6
months for our young brothers and sisters. The National Skill
Development Council has formulated a major scheme for skill development
in which 8 crore people will be trained in the next 5 years. This is an
ambitious scheme which can be implemented only through a specialized
agency of the Central Government. Therefore, we are considering the
establishment of a National Skill Development Authority so that skill
development programmes all over the country can be implemented in a
coordinated manner. We would also need contribution from the private
sector and non-Governmental organizations in this work.
Creation of new employment opportunities is possible only when we
encourage industry and trade. For this we need to speedily improve our
infrastructure. Recently we have taken new measures to accelerate
infrastructure development. Ambitious targets have been fixed in roads,
airports, railways, electricity generation and coal production. The
Government will take steps to increase investment for infrastructure
development with the help of the private sector. To attract foreign
capital, we will have to create confidence at the international level
that there are no barriers to investment in India.
Just 10 years back only 3 out of every 10 households in our
villages were benefitting from banking services. Today more than half of
the rural households get the benefit of bank accounts. It will be our
endeavour to ensure that all households benefit from bank accounts in
the next 2 years.
We want to create a system in which money from Government schemes
- pension for old people, scholarship for students and wages for
labourers - can be credited directly into people’s bank accounts. This
would reduce inconvenience to the beneficiaries, make it easy for them
to receive payment and increase transparency. For this work, we will
take help from the Aadhar scheme under which about 20 crore people have
been registered so far.
To provide housing for our poor brothers and sisters residing in
urban areas of our country we will soon launch the Rajiv Housing Loan
Scheme. Under this scheme, people belonging to the economically weaker
sections would be given relief on interest for housing loans of less
than Rs. 5 lakh.
This year we will present the Twelfth Five Year Plan for
consideration of the National Development Council. The Plan would
determine the future course of action on all important matters relating
to the country's development. It would lay down measures for increasing
our present rate of economic growth from 6.5 to 9 per cent in the last
year of the Plan. The Plan would focus special attention on areas
important from the point of view of reaching the fruits of development
to each citizen of our country and specially to the weaker sections of
our society. I have full confidence that the Centre and the States will
act together to implement the Twelfth Plan in an effective manner.
The incidents of violence which occurred in Assam recently are
very unfortunate. I know that these incidents have resulted in the
disruption of the lives of a large number of people. We fully sympathize
with those families which have been affected by the violence. We are
doing everything possible to provide relief to them. I also promise to
you that our Government will make every effort to understand the reasons
behind the violence and work hard with the State Governments to ensure
that such incidents are not repeated in any part of the country.
We have achieved success in many areas of internal security. In
Jammu and Kashmir, people participated in large numbers in the Panchayat
elections. There has been a reduction in violence in the North Eastern
States and we are engaged in dialogue with many groups there so that
they can join the mainstream of development. We have initiated new
schemes of development in areas affected by naxal violence to ensure
that the grievances of the people residing there, especially our
brothers and sisters belonging to Scheduled Tribes, can be removed and
their lot can be improved. However, we need to be constantly vigilant as
far as internal security is concerned. Communal harmony has to be
maintained at all costs. Naxalism is still a serious problem. The
incidents which occurred in Pune in the beginning of this month point to
the need for much more work to be done in the area of national
security. We will continue to do this work with sincerity in the future
also.
I would like to congratulate our scientists and technologists who
have enhanced our prestige by successfully testing the Agni V Missile
and launching the RISAT- I Satellite in space this year. Recently the
Cabinet has approved the Mars Orbiter Mission. Under this Mission, our
spaceship will go near Mars and collect important scientific
information. This spaceship to Mars will be a huge step for us in the
area of science and technology.
We have seen a lot of discussion in the recent months about the
role of our armed forces and their preparedness. I would like to
emphasise here that our armed forces and paramilitary forces have
defended the security of our country both during war and peace with
valour and honour. Our soldiers have made the biggest of sacrifices,
whenever needed. Today I would like to reassure our countrymen that our
armed forces and paramilitary forces are prepared to face any challenge.
The Government will continue to work for modernizing these forces and
providing them with the necessary technology and equipment. Today, I
would like to thank our security forces, who are guarding our frontiers
bravely, from the bottom of my heart. We will continue to make efforts
for their welfare.
Our Government has set up a committee to examine issues relating
to pay and pension of armed forces personnel. This committee will also
look into matters concerning pension of retired men and officers and
family pension being paid to their families. We will take prompt action
on the recommendations of the committee, once they are received.
Our Government has paid special attention to the welfare of
Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, women and other weaker
sections. The special needs of our tribal and backward districts are
being met through programmes such as the Integrated Action Plan,
Backward Regions Grant Fund and Tribal Sub Plan. Through the Forest
Rights Act, we have given proprietary rights to lakhs of our brothers
and sisters belonging to Scheduled Tribes on land on which they have
been living for generations. We are formulating a scheme to ensure that
people belonging to Scheduled Tribes can get fair and remunerative
prices for the forest produce they collect. The Government wants to
speedily convert the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation)
Bill into a legislation. Through this law we want to provide funds for
the benefit of our tribal brothers and sisters in the mining areas.
We will make the 15 points programme for minorities more
effective. The Multi-Sectoral Development Programme being implemented in
districts with large minority populations will be expanded.
We have enhanced the amount of post-matric scholarship available
to children belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other
Backward Classes and minorities. Our efforts to make these scholarship
schemes more effective will continue.We are considering a new and
effective law to put an end to the repulsive practice of manual
scavenging and to provide opportunities to those engaged in this
practice to begin their lives afresh.
Our commitment to make the work of the Government and
administration transparent and accountable stands. On the last
Independence Day, I promised you that we would take many steps for this
purpose. I am happy to state that during the last 1 year we have
achieved good progress in this area. The Lok Sabha has cleared the
Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill. We hope that all political parties will help
us in passing this Bill in the Rajya Sabha. A number of other Bills have
also been presented before the Parliament. The Cabinet has cleared a
Public Procurement Bill. We will continue our efforts to bring more
transparency and accountability in the work of public servants and to
reduce corruption. But we will also take care that these measures do not
result in a situation in which the morale of public functionaries
taking decisions in public interest gets affected because of baseless
allegations and unnecessary litigation.
In my first message to the country after assuming the office of
Prime Minister I had appealed to you to contribute to the sacred work of
nation building. I am very happy that today more of our citizens than
ever before, and specially the youth, are taking interest in issues
related to the progress of our society and country. Our Government
believes that the difficult problems which India faces can be resolved
only with the cooperation of the common man. It will be our endeavour
that in the coming time, still more people help us in tasks like removal
of poverty, illiteracy and inequality.
I believe that no power in the world can stop our country from
achieving new heights of progress and development. What is needed is
that we work together as one people for the success of our country. Let
us once more resolve that we will continue to work for a progressive,
modern and prosperous India.”
Dear children join me in saying
Jai Hind,
Jai Hind,
Jai Hind.
