NEWDELHI DEC 06: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called on citizens to use the coming decade to completely discard what he described as a “slave mentality”, arguing that India is steadily abandoning a colonial mindset and moving forward with renewed pride across sectors.
Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi, he linked this appeal to the legacy of Macaulay-era policies, noting that 2035 will mark 200 years since their introduction and saying the next 10 years must be dedicated to freeing the country from psychological remnants of colonial rule. He criticised the old phrase “Hindu rate of growth”, arguing that it unfairly blamed India’s civilisational ethos for low growth in an earlier era and reflected a colonial-style way of framing India’s economic story.
Modi contrasted that past with current performance, highlighting second-quarter GDP growth of about 8.2 per cent and describing India as a rare example of “high growth and low inflation” at a time when global growth hovers near 3 per cent and major advanced economies are expanding much more slowly. He said that in a world marked by financial crises, wars, pandemics and a trust deficit, India is increasingly viewed as a pillar of stability, a bridge-builder and a driver of global economic expansion, with its recent achievements representing not just better numbers but a deeper shift in national thinking and direction.
