Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday warned that communal forces are intensifying efforts to "destroy the idea of India" and called for unity to resist such attempts. He was speaking after hoisting the national flag at the Central Stadium here on the occasion of the country’s 79th Independence Day.

In his address, the Chief Minister said India has yet to fulfil the dreams of its freedom fighters, who had envisioned a nation free from social inequalities. While the country has made notable progress and gained global recognition in several areas, he said, deep-rooted social issues persist.

“Poverty, starvation, child labour, communal divisions, and unemployment still plague our society,” he said. “We must rededicate ourselves to changing all this and building the India our freedom fighters dreamed of.”

After the flag hoisting, the Chief Minister inspected the armed paramilitary contingents assembled at the stadium for the ceremonial parade.