Guwahati: Rajnath Singh spoke with members of the 57th Mountain Division and Assam Rifles (South) at the Assam Rifles Mantripukhri facility outside of Imphal on Friday.
In addition to Major Generals Naveen Sachdeva (57th Mountain Division) and Rajan Sarawat (IG Assam Rifles-South) led senior officers of the Army and Assam Rifles, the Chief of the Army Staff, General Manoj Pande, GOC-in-C Eastern Command, Lieutenant General RP Kalita, GOC Spear Corps, and Chief of Staff (Eastern Command), Lieutenant General KK Repswal, were with the defence minister.
As per reports, the visiting defence minister later thanked the commanders and soldiers of the Army and Assam Rifles for carrying out their duties with courage and commitment in spite of the difficulties.
The minister said, it gives him tremendous joy to stand with members of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles in his ten-minute speech in Hindi. He continued by saying that the country cannot reach its full potential without secure borders. You are the one who has contributed most, he added.
Stating that people in different professions are serving the country at their capacities, he also felt that the service you are doing is more than profession and more service. Lauding the contribution of 57th Mountain Division as part of the then peace keeping force in Sri Lanka or in its present role and commending role of Assam Rifles in securing Indo-Myanmar border and key role in bringing Northeast into the mainstream, he said.
As a result, the Assam Rifles are known as the Sentinels of the Northeast and Friends of the Northeast People.
The day’s interactions with the defence minister involved around 1,000 members of the 57th Mountain Division and Assam Rifles.