A Discourse Analysis of Speeches Delivered By the Prominent Indian Politicians on Important Official Forums

Abstract

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The present research paper studies the discourse of the selected speeches from the prominent Indian statesmen. It includes Mr. Manmohan Singh’s address to Indian Elected Assembly (Lok Sabah) as Prime Minister of India, S.M. Krishna’s (Foreign Minister of India) speech to the UN, General Assembly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the UN General Assembly and the speech of Mrs. Sushma Swaraj (the present foreign minister) to the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly. This work is a discourse of the speeches delivered by these politicians representing Indian government on different occasions. There emerge a few common patterns in the speeches of these politicians who in fact, represent different political parties in India. These four speeches fall within the years 2009 to 2018 but they represent a few consistent structures. Ruth Wodak’s model is used to explain how Indian politicians create an image of positive self and negative others. There has been a dominant discourse of eying Pakistan with suspicion and a terror sponsoring country. On the other hand, India is projected in the light of a developing, responsible, democratic and progressive country that believes in human rights and social welfare. The discourse finds a conscious effort on the part of the four speakers to appreciate India as a positively contributing welfare state in the committee of nations. However, the presence of a terror sponsoring neighbor: Pakistan; is a constant challenge for their stability and the peace. These speeches try to build a discourse which projects Pakistan a threat for the world in general and for India in particular.