New Delhi, Dec 6 Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the 23rd edition of the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit on Saturday, delivered a sharp critique of past governance models and the colonial-era mindset, which he said continued to weigh down India's progress for several years.
He argued that earlier governments "did not have faith in their own citizens", pointing to the cumbersome requirement of official attestations for basic documents.
"Our government broke that way of working. A citizen’s self-attested document is enough to prove its authenticity," PM Modi declared, presenting the reform as emblematic of a larger shift towards trust-based governance.
The Prime Minister also took aim at the historical use of the phrase "Hindu rate of growth", which was coined in the 1970s to describe India’s sluggish economic performance of 2-3 per cent annually.
PM Modi said the term unfairly stigmatised an entire society, branding it as unproductive and poor.
"The entire country was given the tag of unproductivity, poverty. There were attempts to prove that the reason for the slow progress of India is Hindu sabhyata, Hindu culture," he said, adding that such narratives were rooted in a colonial mentality that sought to undermine India’s civilisational identity.
PM Modi questioned whether communalism was not visible during those times, suggesting that the imposition of such labels reflected a deeper prejudice against India's traditions.
He urged the nation to shed what he described as a "slave mentality" inherited from colonial rule, insisting that India must chart its own course rather than remain confined by outdated perceptions.
The Prime Minister's remarks combined policy reforms with cultural assertion, weaving together themes of administrative trust, economic confidence, and civilisational pride.
PM Modi's address reflected his broader narrative of building a self-confident India, where governance is simplified, citizens are trusted, and cultural identity is celebrated as a source of strength rather than a cause of stagnation.
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