PM Narendra Modi lands in Kargil to celebrate Diwali with soldiers

Continuing with his annual tradition of celebrating Diwali with soldiers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday arrived in Kargil.

Last year, PM Modi celebrated Diwali with soldiers in Nowshera, Jammu. He had lauded the soldiers for serving on Indian borders and pointed out that security personnel were the "suraksha kawach" (armour) of the nation. Prime Minister further said that it is because of the soldiers that people can sleep peacefully.

In 2020, PM Modi while celebrating Diwali with soldiers at Longewala in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan had said that as long as the Indian soldiers are present, this country's Diwali celebrations would continue in full swing and be luminescent.

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.