In radio broadcast on 15 Aug 1947, Nehru described himself as Pradhan Sewak of people: Ramesh

On India’s 79th Independence Day, prime minister Narendra Modi — who has since 2014 referred to himself as the pradhan sevak, the ‘first servant’ of the nation — gave his customary annual speech from the ramparts of Red Fort, New Delhi, on 15 August 2025.

Modi’s PMO page has the reference. He has repeated the appellation for himself in 2019 and in 2022. But history must decide who wears the badge best, surely — for wasn’t there a pratham sewak before our present prime minister?

It was him, that first servant of the citizens that Congress leader Jairam Ramesh reflected upon in a post on X today, recalling the historic moments surrounding the India's first Independence celebrations — and the nation’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s early addresses.

Ramesh noted that while Nehru delivered his iconic “tryst with destiny” speech in the Constituent Assembly at midnight on 14 August 1947, and issued a message to Indians at home and abroad in newspapers on the morning of 15 August, he did not address the nation from the Red Fort that day.

Instead, Nehru made a broadcast over All India Radio on 15 August, introducing himself as the “pradhan sewak” of the Indian people. His first Red Fort address came a day later, on 16 August 1947, where he invoked both Mahatma Gandhi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

"At the midnight hour of 14 August 1947, the Constituent Assembly met and soon thereafter Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his iconic and immortal Tryst with Destiny Speech. All newspapers on the morning of 15 August 1947, carried a message to the people of India as well as to overseas Indians," Ramesh said on X on Friday.

Ramesh said, "15 August 1947, was a packed programme. Hence, it was on 16 August 1947, that Nehru actually spoke from the Red Fort for the first time, where he famously invoked not only Mahatma Gandhi but Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose as well."

In later years, the tradition of prime ministers addressing the nation from the Red Fort on 15 August became firmly established. Ramesh also shared archival material — including Nehru’s newspaper message, the radio broadcast, and the Red Fort speech — to mark the occasion.