Prime Minister Narendra Modi today celebrated Diwali with the soldiers stationed at the border - a tradition he has been following since 2014 when he first became the Prime Minister.
This year, PM Modi celebrated the festival with the soldiers in Kargil in Ladakh. Addressing the soldiers as his "family," PM Modi said: "The sweetness and brightness of my Diwali is amid you".
"The forces are the pillar of India's security. There has not been a single war with Pakistan where Kargil has not hoisted the flag of victory. The meaning of Diwali is end of Atank (terror) and Kargil made it possible," he said.
"In Kargil, our forces crushed terror. I was fortunate enough to be a witness. I was shown my old photos here, and I am grateful for that," he added.
He also sang Vande Mataram with the soldiers in Kargil.
One Man : One Mission
- B L Santhosh (@blsanthosh) October 24, 2022
2014: Siachen
2015: Amritsar
2016: Lahaul-Spiti
2017: Gurez
2018: Chamoli
2019: Rajouri
2020: Jaisalmer
2021: Nowshera
2022: Kargil
PM Sri @narendramodi leads the nation in conveying #Deepavali greetings to soldiers at the border . pic.twitter.com/kpjvzj7Xv8
The Prime Minister has been celebrating Diwali with soldiers for several years now.
In 2014, months after he became the PM, Prime Minister Modi flew to Siachen, the world's highest battlefield, to celebrate the festival with the soldiers. The following year, he celebrated Diwali with soldiers at the Punjab border.
A spirited Diwali in Kargil! pic.twitter.com/qtIGesk98x
- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 24, 2022
In 2016, the PM celebrated Diwali with Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel at an outpost in Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul-Spiti. In 2017, he went to a border post in Gurez Valley of Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora District.
In 2018, Prime Minister Modi had celebrated Diwali with jawans of the Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), at Harsil in Uttarakhand. Following that he offered prayers at the Kedarnath shrine.
In 2019, the Prime Minister celebrated Diwali in the Rajouri district along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. He had called soldiers as his family and lauded them for guarding the borders even during festivals. He had exchanged Diwali greetings with the Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel at Pathankot Air Force Station.
The next year, PM visited Diwali with soldiers and Border Security Force (BSF) jawans in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer.
In 2021, PM celebrated the festival in Nowshera, Jammu.
According to reports, PM Modi has been visiting soldiers on Diwali, ever since he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
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