In her address to the country on the eve of the 77th Independence Day, President Droupadi Murmu on Monday said that each one of us is an equal citizen, and each one of us has equal opportunities, equal rights, and equal duties in this land.

The President said that there is one identity above all – that is everyone is a citizen of India.

“What we celebrate on Independence Day is the fact that we are part of a great democracy. Each of us has many identities – apart from caste, creed, language, and region, we are also identified with our families and professions – but there is one identity that is above all. That is our identity as citizens of India. Each one of us is an equal citizen; each one of us has equal opportunities, equal rights, and equal duties, in this land,” the President said in her address to the nation.

“My heartiest greetings to all of you on our 77th Independence Day! It is a glorious and auspicious occasion for all of us. I am overjoyed to see that festivity is in the air. It is a matter of delight as well as pride for us to see how everyone – children, youth, and the elderly, in cities and villages, everywhere in India – is excited and preparing to celebrate this festival of our freedom. The people have been celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ with great enthusiasm,” she added.

“Independence Day reminds us that we are not merely individuals, but we are part of a great community of people. It happens to be the biggest and the greatest community of its kind. It is the community of the citizens of the world’s largest democracy,” Murmu further said.