PM Modi celebrates Deepavali in Kargil, says India has never considered war first option but last resort
The Hindu
India has been dealing with its enemies, both external and internal, with force, Mr. Modi said
India has always viewed war as the last resort, but the armed forces have the strength and strategies to give a befitting reply to anyone who casts an evil eye on the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on October 24.
Addressing the armed forces here on Deepavali, the Prime Minister also recalled his visit to this frontier region in the aftermath of the Kargil conflict in 1999 when the Indian military had "crushed the hood of terror".
"There has not been a single war with Pakistan when Kargil has not flown the victory flag," he said adding that Deepavali symbolised the "celebration of the end of terror".
"I have witnessed the Kargil war closely. It was my duty that had brought me to Kargil back then. There are many memories of that time when the sounds of victory were reverberating all around," Mr. Modi said, continuing with the tradition set by him to celebrate Deepavali at the country's frontiers.
"In Kargil, our armed forces had crushed the hood of terror and people still remember the Diwali that was celebrated back then," he said.
He said over the last eight years, the government has worked on implementing reforms in the armed forces by deploying new technologies, developing infrastructure in border areas and opening up positions for women in the forces.
"The induction of women in the armed forces will boost our strength," Mr. Modi said and added that reforms in the armed forces that were required for decades are now being implemented.