PM Modi calls India ‘mother of democracy’, says people openly debate issues
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday described India as the “mother of democracy” and said people in the country openly debated issues and discussed different perspectives, a day after Delhi Police cracked down on an INDIA bloc protest against the Election Commission, drawing international attention and prompting legal challenges and concern from the United Nations.
Speaking at the Bloomberg Economic Forum, Modi cited India’s linguistic diversity, media landscape and digital reach as evidence of its democratic discourse.
“India is the mother of democracy. India has over 100 languages, around 80,000 registered newspapers and publications, and more than 1,000 satellite television channels,” he said.
He added that India had more than 500 million YouTube users and over 500 million Instagram users, describing digital technology as a major force enabling public debate.
“In our country, people openly debate different issues and discuss different perspectives. And in the present era, one of the major forces that has played a significant role in this has been digital power,” Modi said.
His remarks came amid scrutiny of the police action against protesters demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The crackdown triggered allegations of police and mob brutality involving protesters, Supreme Court lawyers and journalists, as well as an expression of concern from the UN.
Modi also spoke about the responsibility that comes with authority, saying the government should empower citizens rather than make them dependent on the system.
“The government has authority, but its purpose should not be to make its citizens dependent on the system. Rather, its purpose should be to strengthen and empower its citizens, and India is on this path,” he said.
Turning to the economy, Modi said India’s growth was underpinned by strong fundamentals and continued reforms. He cited 7.8 per cent growth in the April-June quarter and foreign exchange reserves exceeding $700 billion as indicators of economic resilience.
“We do not grow at anyone’s cost. We grow with the world. And for the world,” he said, presenting India as a reliable economic partner amid geopolitical tensions and disruptions to global trade.
He highlighted reforms in taxation, insolvency and labour laws, along with digital public infrastructure, the startup ecosystem and clean-energy capacity.
“For us, reforms are not a compulsion. Reforms are our conviction,” he said.
Modi also warned that supply chains, energy, critical minerals, payment systems and technology were increasingly being used as instruments of geopolitical pressure, underscoring the need for resilient economic systems and reliable international partners.