24OCT,Delhi : Keeping in with his tradition of spending Diwali with armed forces, the Prime Minister spent this Diwali with the forces in Kargil.
Addressing the brave jawans, the Prime Minister said that the reverence for the soil of Kargil always draws him towards the brave sons and daughters of the armed forces. “For years, you have been a part of my family”, the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister underlined that the sweetness of Diwali increases in the presence of the jawans and the light of Diwali that is present among them emboldens his spirit.“On one side there are the sovereign borders of the nation, and on the other committed soldiers, On one we have the love of the soil of the motherland, and on the other, there are braveheart jawans. I could not have expected a Diwali of such magnitude anywhere else”. The Prime Minister remarked that India gleefully celebrates these sagas of valour and bravery that are part of our traditions and cultures. “Today, from the victorious lands of Kargil,” the Prime Minister said, “I wish a very happy Diwali to everyone in India and the world“The India that we revere is not just a geographical territory but a living spirit, a constant consciousness, an immortal existence”, the Prime Minister exalted. “When we speak of India,” Shri Modi continued, “the eternal picture of India’s culture comes to the fore, the circle of legacy manufactures itself and the model of India’s might starts to grow.” He further added that India is a stream of such weaponry that begins on one end begins with the sky-high Himalayas and encompasses the Indian Ocean. The Prime Minister remembered that the many flourishing civilisations of the past were decimated to grains of sand but the existence of India’s cultural stream remained uninterrupted. He explained that a nation becomes immortal when the brave sons and daughters of the land show complete faith in their strength and resources. The battlefield of Kargil is shining proof of the courage of the Indian Army. “Dras, Batalik and Tiger Hill are proof that enemies sitting on a mountaintop were dwarfed before the courage and valour of the Indian Armed Forces”, Shri Modi remarked. He said that those manning India’s borders are the resilient pillars of India’s security. He further added that a country is secure only when its borders are secure, its economy is robust and the society is filled with self-confidence. The Prime Minister remarked that the morale of the entire nation goes up when we hear news about the strength of the country. Highlighting the feeling of solidarity among the countrymen, the Prime Minister gave the example of Swacch Bharat Mission and the timely delivery of pucca houses with electricity and water and remarked that every jawan feels proud of it. He remarked that far away when these services reach the jawans’ houses, it gives them satisfaction. He further added that when the jawan notices the boost in connectivity, it gets easier for him to call home and even easier to get home during vacations. He also highlighted India’s recent achievement of becoming the 5th largest economy in the world from the 10th largest 7-8 years ago. The Prime Minister also spoke about the 80,000-plus startups that keep the innovation mill running. He also recalled that two days ago, ISRO created a new record by simultaneously launching 36 satellites to expand broadband internet. The Prime Minister also threw light on the Ukraine War where the Tricolour acted as a protective shield for Indians.
