scorecardresearch
Add as a preferred source on Google
Sunday, October 12, 2025
HomeOpinionGreat Speeches

Great Speeches

‘Bharat Ratna’ Charan Singh: Opposition has the right to throw you out of power by any means

On 23 March 1976, following his release from prison, Charan Singh delivered a scathing speech in the Uttar Pradesh assembly against Indira Gandhi and her decision to impose Emergency. 'You don't become the master of the country forever once you come to power'.

‘Avoid parties, grand weddings’– Lal Bahadur Shastri on India’s 1964 food shortage

In his broadcast to the nation on 19 October 1964, Lal Bahadur Shastri addressed India’s dependence on food imports, calling austerity the need of the hour.

For Minoo Masani, Indira Gandhi’s bank nationalisation Bill ‘came in the dark, like a thief’

On 25 July 1969 in Lok Sabha, Rajkot MP Minoo Masani listed the economic and political grounds on which his Swatantra Party opposed the Indira Gandhi government's Bill to nationalise private banks.

Rajiv Gandhi launched his 1989 election campaign from Lucknow. This is what he said

'Many rumours have been spread, many lies have been spread about Babri Masjid and Ramjanmabhoomi,' Gandhi had said in Lucknow on 19 November 1989.

Rajendra Prasad’s Somnath temple inauguration speech that AIR ‘blacked out’ in 1951

On 11 May 1951, then-President Dr Rajendra Prasad attended the opening of Somnath temple in Gujarat despite Nehru's opposition, and spoke about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's idea of restoring the temple to commemorate the restoration of Indian unity.

Aren’t poverty and need the greatest polluters? Indira Gandhi

On 14 June 1972, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's speech at the UN conference on environment in Stockholm called out the hypocrisy of rich nations that advanced due to industrialisation by exploiting natural resources and labour of colonised countries but now expect developing nations to be mindful of not causing damage to the environment.

‘Peace-lovers to what extent?’ Syama Prasad Mookerjee on why India could lose Kashmir

In his speech on 7 August 1952 in Lok Sabha, Mookerjee spoke about the fear that the Kashmir policy with regard to UN and Article 370 'may lead to the 'Balkanisation' of India'.

It was to avoid war with Pakistan that we went to the Security Council—Nehru on Kashmir

On 31 January 1957, the Indian prime minister delivered a speech at Island Grounds in Madras where he spoke about the UN resolution and the conditions laid out for a plebiscite in J&K.

S Radhakrishnan’s appeal to ‘brave people of Nagaland’—forget past rancour, write new chapter

On 1 December 1963, President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan delivered a speech to the people on the inauguration of Nagaland, the 16th state of the Indian Union.

India lost independence once. Can Constitution prevent another loss, Ambedkar asked

On 25 November 1949, Dr BR Ambedkar delivered his last speech to the Constituent Assembly, which formally adopted India’s Constitution the following day. Ambedkar’s speech, outlining three warnings for an independent India, holds importance even today.

On Camera

Zubeen Garg saga is resembling Sushant Singh Rajput. Did we not learn our lesson?

Oceans sit between the Assamese singer and the Bollywood actor. But what their deaths reveal is a study in human behaviour as performed in the public sphere.

Niti Aayog recommends fully decriminalising 12 offences under new I-T Act to ‘foster more trust’

Recommendations appear in Niti Aayog’s Tax Policy Working Paper Series–II. It says there is a need to shift away from fear-based enforcement to trust-based governance.

India, UK sign £350 mn deal for Martlet. What are these Lightweight Multirole Missiles

In service with the British military since 2019, it is also known as the Martlet missile. Ukrainians have also deployed these missiles against Russian troops.

CJI, IPS, IAS & Homebound: A wake-up call 75 years in the making

Education, reservations, govt jobs are meant to bring equality and dignity. That we are a long way from that is evident in the shoe thrown at the CJI and the suicide of Haryana IPS officer. The film Homebound has a lesson too.