PM Modi Spends Diwali At Kedarnath, Meets Soldiers At India-China Border

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Kedarnath in Uttarakhand today and offered his prayers at the temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. On his way there, he also extended Diwali greetings to soldiers posted on the India-China border at Harsil.

According to a statement from his office, the Prime Minister told soldiers that doing duty in the remote icy heights is enabling the strength of the nation, and securing the future and the dreams of 125 crore Indians. The jawans, through their commitment and discipline, are also helping to spread the sense of security and fearlessness among the people, he said.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Modi greeted the people on Diwali. "Happy Diwali! May this festival bring happiness, good health and prosperity in everyone's lives. May the power of good and brightness always prevail!" his tweet read.

Last night, the prime minister had an interesting exchange with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on twitter. Mr Netanyahu posted a tweet in Hindi wishing his "dear friend" PM Modi on Diwali, to which the Indian prime minister replied in Hebrew.

"On behalf of the people of Israel, I would like to wish my dear friend @narendramodi and the people of India a joyous Diwali. May this luminous festival of lights bring you happiness and prosperity. Reply to this tweet with the name of the city where you're celebrating!" Mr Netanyahu wrote in Hindi and English.

PM Modi replied to the Israeli Prime Minister in Hebrew and English saying, "Bibi, my friend, thank you so much for the Diwali wishes.

Every year, I visit our border areas and surprise our troops. This year too, will spend Diwali with our brave troops. Spending time with them is special. I will share photos of the same tomorrow evening. :)".

The prime minister arrived in Dehradun this morning and he is expected to go to Kedarnath, where he is likely to offer his prayers and examine the reconstruction work at Kedarpuri. The foundation stone for the Kedarpuri reconstruction project was laid by the prime minister during his visit to Kedarnath last year.

After becoming the prime minister in 2014, PM Modi had spent Diwali that year with jawans in Siachen.

The next year, he visited the Punjab border. His visit coincided with 50 years of the 1965 India-Pakistan war. In 2016, PM Modi was in Himachal Pradesh, where he spent time with Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel at an outpost. Last year, PM Modi had spent Diwali with soldiers at Gurez in Jammu and Kashmir.