Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited to Kargil on Monday to continue his yearly custom of spending Diwali with soldiers.
Last year, Prime Minister Modi celebrated Diwali with the military in Nowshera of Jammu. He had praised the army for protecting Indian borders and mentioned that security personnel served as the country’s “suraksha kawach” (armour). The Prime Minister went on to say that soldiers are to blame for citizens being able to sleep soundly.
Diwali festivities in this country would continue in full force and be luminous as long as Indian military are present, Prime Minister Modi stated in 2020 while celebrating with soldiers at Longewala in Jaisalmer of Rajasthan.
In 2019, the Prime Minister celebrated Diwali with soldiers 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.
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 had offered prayers at the Kedarnath shrine. In 2017, the Prime Minister celebrated the festival of light with army soldiers and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel in the Gurez Valley of Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora District.
In 2016, the PM went to Himachal Pradesh to celebrate the festival with Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel at an outpost.
He visited the Punjab border to celebrate Diwali with soldiers in 2015.
In 2014, Prime Minister Modi spent Diwali in Siachen with soldiers.
Notably, PM Modi has been visiting soldiers on Diwali, ever since he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.