'You Have Been My Family for Years', 'Diwali Means End of Terrorism': PM Modi's Top Quotes at Kargil

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday arrived in Kargil to celebrate Diwali with the soldiers there, a tradition he has has been continuing since 2014. The PMO said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has landed in Kargil, where he will celebrate Diwali with our brave soldiers.”

The PM has been celebrating Diwali with various troops of the armed forces personnel posted at some of the remotest security check posts over the last nine years. Wishing the jawans at Kargil a happy Diwali, the Prime Minister participated in a ‘Vande Mataram’ singalong, and commended the forces for their bravery. Slogans of ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ were raised by the soldiers.

Here are the top quotes from the PM’s address at Kargil:

• Wishing the forces a happy Diwali, the PM said, “For me, all of you have been my family for years now…it’s a privilege to celebrate Diwali amid all of you.”

• “Diwali means celebrating the end of terrorism, and Kargil made this possible,” the PM said. “There has not been a single war with Pakistan where Kargil has not hoisted the flag of victory.”

• “Desh-bhakti is just equal to Dev-bhakti. Our Armed Forces have always made us proud,” he said. “Our Army in Kargil crushed the fountainhead of terror and people still remember that Diwali. It was my privilege to have witnessed that victory and I could witness that war up close.”

• “It is because the armed forces are protecting our borders, that every citizen in India sleeps peacefully. I bow to the spirit of the Armed Forces of India. Your sacrifices have always made our country proud,” the PM added.

• Addressing the soldiers, the PM said, “Just like all of you are protecting us at the borders, we’re working within the country to fight evils like terrorism, ‘Naxalwaad’, and corruption. ‘Naxalwaad’ had taken a huge part of the nation in its grasp, but today that stretch is rapidly decreasing.”

• Speaking about the reforms in the Armed Forces, the PM said, “Over the last eight years, we have worked with a focus on implementing reforms within the armed forces. We have opened positions in the forces for women. ‘Nari Shakti’ will strengthen our armed forces…The induction of women officers into ‘Permanent Commission’ has been a boon to the Armed Forces of our country.”

• “In the age of technology, the way we conduct war is changing. And our Armed Forces are ready, with new training, new reforms and new technology. Our armed forces have taken the initiative of being ‘aatmanirbhar’. When our jawans fight with made-in-India weapons, they will not only feel proud, but also have an element of surprise to defeat the enemy,” he said.

• “We’ve never viewed war as first option…Be it the war in Lanka or Kurukshetra, we tried until till the end to postpone it,” he said. “We’re against war, but peace isn’t possible without strength…If anyone dares to look at us with ill intentions, our Forces will give them a befitting reply.”

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