Synopsis:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivers a historic 103-minute Independence Day Speech, the longest in India’s history, breaking his own record from last year while setting new political milestones.
By Dr. Mohammad Farooque
Longest Independence Day Speech in Indian History
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day Speech this year has made history. Speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Friday, August 15, 2025, he delivered a marathon 103-minute address — the longest ever by any Indian Prime Minister. With this, Modi broke his own record of a 98-minute speech from last year’s 78th Independence Day celebrations.
Record After Record
Before 2024, Modi’s personal best was a 96-minute address in 2016. This year’s Independence Day Speech not only surpassed that but also placed him second only to Jawaharlal Nehru in terms of consecutive Independence Day addresses from the Red Fort. Modi has now spoken for 12 consecutive years — from his first 65-minute address in 2014 — overtaking Indira Gandhi’s streak and closing in on Nehru’s record of 17 straight speeches.
Year-by-Year Breakdown of Modi’s Speeches
- 2014: 65 minutes
- 2015: 88 minutes
- 2016: 96 minutes
- 2017: 56 minutes (shortest of his tenure)
- 2018: 83 minutes
- 2019: 92 minutes
- 2020: 90 minutes
- 2021: 88 minutes
- 2022: 74 minutes
- 2023: 90 minutes
- 2024: 98 minutes
- 2025: 103 minutes (longest ever)
How Modi Compares to Former Prime Ministers
Before Modi, the longest recorded Independence Day Speech belonged to Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947 (72 minutes) and I.K. Gujral in 1997 (71 minutes). On the shorter side, Nehru in 1954 and Indira Gandhi in 1966 both spoke for only 14 minutes — still the briefest in history.
Manmohan Singh’s speeches in 2012 and 2013 lasted 32 and 35 minutes, respectively, while Atal Bihari Vajpayee kept it even briefer in 2002 and 2003 at 25 and 30 minutes.
