Leh:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to soldiers in Ladakh while on a surprise visit to an outpost in Ladakh this morning and interacted with troops a few days after the June 15 border conflict with China during of which 20 soldiers were killed in the line of duty. The Prime Minister’s visit served to boost the morale of the forces and to send a powerful message to China, which showed unremitting aggression at the border with raids spotted on satellite images. The Chief of the Defense Staff, General Bipin Rawat, and the Chief of the Army MM Naravane accompanied the Prime Minister on his tour of the region, met soldiers and were informed of the confrontation with China since early May.
Here are the top 5 quotes from Prime Minister Modi’s address to soldiers in Ladakh:
- Your bravery and dedication are second to none. Your courage is higher than in the highest regions where you are all stationed.
- The enemies of Bharat Mata have seen your fire and your fury.
- Your arms are as strong as the mountains around you. Your confidence, your determination and your convictions are as immutable (atals) as the summits here.
- The conditions under which you all offer your best are among the most difficult in the world, and you have proven time and time again that the Indian armed force is more powerful and better than everyone in the world. What you did here, the message you sent, is a message that has reached the world. It was a bold statement.
- I want to salute all of you and all the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the homeland. Every corner, every stone, every river and every pebble here in Ladakh knows that it is an integral part of India.
