NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has marked a notable milestone by hoisting the national flag at the Red Fort for the 11th consecutive year. This Independence Day celebration, commemorating the 78th anniversary of India's independence, also represents Modi's first Independence Day in his third term as Prime Minister. With this achievement, he joins an exclusive group of Indian leaders, becoming only the third Prime Minister to reach this milestone, following Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
Jawaharlal Nehru, India's inaugural Prime Minister, first raised the tricolor on August 15, 1947, and continued to do so annually until his death on May 27, 1964, achieving 17 consecutive years. Indira Gandhi, who served from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 to 1984, addressed the nation on Independence Day 16 times.
Modi has now surpassed his predecessor, Manmohan Singh, who hoisted the flag ten times from 2004 to 2014. Of India’s 15 Prime Ministers, 13 have had the honor of hoisting the flag at the Red Fort, with Gulzari Lal Nanda and Chandra Shekhar being the only ones who did not.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, from the BJP-led NDA government, hoisted the flag six times during his second term from March 19, 1998, to May 22, 2004. Although he served as Prime Minister three times, he did not hoist the flag during his first brief term from May 16, 1996, to June 1, 1996.
Rajiv Gandhi, who took office on October 31, 1984, after his mother Indira Gandhi's assassination, and served until December 2, 1989, raised the tricolor for five consecutive years. This record was later matched by PV Narasimha Rao, who served from June 21, 1991, to May 16, 1996.
Lal Bahadur Shastri and Morarji Desai each hoisted the flag twice. Shastri did so from June 9, 1964, until his death in Tashkent on January 11, 1966. Morarji Desai, the first non-Congress Prime Minister, did so twice between March 24, 1977, and July 28, 1979.
Four Prime Ministers namely, Charan Singh, VP Singh, HD Deve Gowda, and IK Gujral—each had the opportunity to hoist the flag once.
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