Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the soldiers at Rajasthan’s Longewala post on the occasion of Diwali. “India is proud of our forces who protect our nation courageously,” PM Modi said.
The PM also congratulated the families of the soldiers who are deployed along the border in the festival season. “I bow before the families of the soldiers,” he said.
“In 2014, I celebrated Diwali at Siachen. Many people were surprised. But you know me, I am always with my own people during festivals. And I have continued with that tradition even this year,” PM Modi said.
Longewala post touches 50 degrees Celsius in summers and plunges below zero in winters, the PM said, but it does not waver our soldiers. “In May, people get sun-struck here. But you people have never shied away from performing your duties,” he said.
“Whenever the valour of our soldiers is talked about, Battle of Longewala will be remembered. Our soldiers gave a befitting reply to Pakistani soldiers in that battle,” the PM said. “The Battle of Longewala proved that no one can stand in front of the combined might of Indian forces – Army, Navy and Air Force,” PM Modi said.
The Longewala post is a strategic post on the western border where the first major battle of the 1971 war, known as the Battle of Longewala, was fought.
PM Modi in his message said that India is safe today only because the country’s forces have the strength to stand up to terrorism and other anti-nation powers, and the forces have proper policial support. “The entire world, especially those countries who promote terrorism, has seen that Indian forces can enter other countries and kill terrorists,” he said.
The PM also said that expansionism is a mental disorder and the whole world is troubled by the expansionist force. “Today the whole world is troubled by expansionist forces. Expansionism is, in a way, a mental disorder and reflects 18th-century thinking. India is also becoming a strong voice against this thinking,” he said.
PM Modi concluded his speech with three requests. “My first request is, try to create something new. Try to innovate. Second, make sure yoga is a part of your life. And my third request is, learn a language other than your own mother tongue from your colleagues,” PM Modi said.