Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

The voice should be heard across the hill.

Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh B.D. Mishra ji, Union Minister Sanjay Seth, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chiefs of the three Armed Forces, General V.P. Malik ji, who was the Army Chief during the Kargil War, former Army Chief General Manoj Pande ji, brave soldiers who have received gallantry awards and retired soldiers, mothers, brave women and the family members of the brave heroes of the Kargil War, brave soldiers of the army, and my dear countrymen,

Today, this great land of Ladakh is witnessing the completion of 25 years of the Kargil Victory. Kargil Vijay Diwas reminds us that sacrifices made for the nation are immortal. Days, months, years, decades, centuries pass, seasons change, but the names of those who lay down their lives for the defence of the nation remain indelible. This country is eternally indebted to the valiant heroes of our armed forces. This nation is grateful to them.

Friends,

I am fortunate that I was among our soldiers as an ordinary citizen during the Kargil War. Today, as I stand on the land of Kargil once again, naturally, those memories have become fresh in my mind. I remember how our forces executed such a difficult war operation at such heights. I respectfully salute all those brave warriors who brought victory to the nation. I bow to those martyrs who made the supreme sacrifice to protect the motherland in Kargil.

Friends,

We did not just win a war in Kargil, we gave an incredible demonstration of 'truth, restraint, and capability.' You know Bharat was making efforts for peace at that time. In return, Pakistan once again showed its untrustworthy face. But falsehood and terrorism were defeated in front of the truth.

Friends,

Pakistan has faced defeat in all its past malicious attempts. However, Pakistan has learned nothing from its history. It is trying to keep itself relevant by relying on terrorism. But today, I am speaking from a place where the masterminds of terrorism can hear my voice directly. I want to tell the patrons of terrorism that their evil plans will never succeed. Our brave soldiers will crush terrorism with full force, and the enemy will be given a fitting reply.

Friends,

Whether it is Ladakh or Jammu and Kashmir, Bharat will overcome every challenge to development. In just a few days, on August 5th, it will be five years since the abrogation of Article 370. Today, Jammu and Kashmir is talking about a new future and dreaming big. Jammu and Kashmir is being recognized for hosting a significant meeting of the G-20 global summit. Along with infrastructure development, the tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir, Leh, Ladakh is also growing rapidly. After decades, a cinema theatre has opened in Kashmir. For the first time in three and a half decades, a Tazia procession was taken out in Srinagar. Our paradise on earth is rapidly moving towards peace and harmony.

Friends,

Today, a new stream of development is flowing in Ladakh, with the construction of the Shinkun La Tunnel having begun. Ladakh will remain connected to the rest of the country throughout the year, in all seasons through this Shinkun La tunnel. This tunnel will open a new path of possibilities for the development and better future of Ladakh. We all know how much difficulty the people of Ladakh face due to harsh weather. The construction of the Shinkun La Tunnel will also reduce these difficulties. I extend special congratulations to my brothers and sisters in Ladakh for the commencement of this tunnel's work.

Friends,

The welfare of the people of Ladakh has always been our priority. I remember that many of our people from the Kargil region were stranded in Iran during the corona period. I made considerable efforts on a personal level to bring them back. They were brought from Iran and accommodated in Jaisalmer, and only after receiving a completely satisfactory health report, were they sent to their homes. We are satisfied that we were able to save many lives. The Government of Bharat is continuously working to increase the facilities here and improve the ease of living.

In the past five years, we have increased Ladakh's budget from 1,100 crore rupees to 6,000 crore rupees. That is, an increase of nearly six times! This money is now being used for the development of the people of Ladakh and to increase facilities here. You can see that in terms of roads, electricity, water, education, power supply, and employment, Ladakh is changing in every direction, both in terms of appearance and landscape. For the first time, work is being done here with holistic planning. More than 90% of households in Ladakh now have access to drinking water through pipes due to the Jal Jeevan Mission. The Sindhu Central University is being established here to provide quality higher education to the youth of Ladakh. The work to connect the entire Ladakh region with a 4G network is also ongoing. The construction of the 13-kilometer-long Zojila Tunnel is also underway. Once completed, it will ensure all-weather connectivity on National Highway Number One.

Friends,

We have set extraordinary goals for the development of the country's border areas and have taken on challenging tasks. The Border Roads Organization (BRO) has worked at an unprecedented pace to achieve these goals. In the past three years, BRO has completed over 330 infrastructure projects. These include development projects in Ladakh and projects like the Sela Tunnel in the Northeast. This pace of development in difficult terrains showcases both the capability and direction of a new Bharat.

Friends,

Today's global circumstances are different from before. Therefore, our armed forces need to modernize not only in weapons and equipment but also in their working methods and systems. The country has felt the need for significant reforms in the defence sector for decades. The military itself had been demanding these reforms for years. Unfortunately, this was not given enough importance in the past. In the last ten years, we have made defence reforms the top priority in the defence sector. As a result of these reforms, today our armed forces are more capable and becoming self-reliant. A significant portion of defence procurement is now being given to the Indian defence industry. Twenty-five per cent of the research and development budget in defence is reserved for the private sector. Because of such efforts, Bharat’s defence production has now exceeded 1.25 lakh crore rupees. Once, Bharat was counted as a country that imported weapons. Now, Bharat is establishing its identity as an exporter. I am pleased that our armed forces have identified a list of over 5,000 weapons and military equipment, ensuring that these 5,000 items will no longer be imported. I congratulate the military leadership for this achievement.

Friends,

I want to commend the Indian Armed Forces for their commitment to defence sector reforms. Our armed forces have made many bold decisions in recent years. An example of the necessary reforms undertaken by the military is the Agnipath Scheme. For decades, discussions about making the armed forces younger have taken place in Parliament and many committees. The fact that the average age of Indian soldiers was higher than the global average has been a matter of concern for us all! Hence, this topic was raised in numerous committees over the years. However, the will to resolve this national security challenge was not shown earlier. Perhaps some people had a mindset that the military meant saluting leaders and performing parades. For us, the military means the faith of 140 crore countrymen; for us, the military means the guarantee of peace for 140 crore countrymen; for us, the military means the security of the country's borders.

The nation has addressed this important dream through the Agnipath Scheme. The goal of Agnipath is to make the armed forces younger and to keep the armed forces continually capable of warfare. Unfortunately, some people have made this very sensitive issue of national security a subject of politics. Some people are engaging in distorted politics with their personal interests regarding this reform in the military. These are the same people who weakened our armed forces by committing thousands of crores in scams. These are the same people who never wanted the Air Force to get modern fighter jets. These are the same people who were ready to bring down the curtain on the Tejas fighter plane.

Friends,

The truth is that the Agnipath Scheme will strengthen the country, and capable young people will also come forward to serve the motherland. Announcements have been made to give priority to Agniveers in the private sector and paramilitary forces as well. I am astonished at what has happened to some people's understanding and thinking. They are spreading the misconception that the government has brought this scheme to save pension money. I am ashamed of such thinking, but such people should be asked if a person recruited during Modi's tenure today needs to be given a pension immediately. The need to give a pension will arise 30 years later. By then, Modi will be 105 years old, and will Modi still be in power then? Will Modi be governing when he is 105 years old and 30 years later, when the pension will be due? And is Modi such a politician that he will take the blame today for something to be done 30 years later? What are you doing? But friends, for me, the nation comes before any party. And friends, I proudly say today that we have honoured the decisions taken by the armed forces. As I said before, we work not for politics but for the nation's strategy. For us, the security of the nation is paramount. For us, the peace for 140 crore people comes first.

Friends,

The history of those who are misleading the youth of the country shows that they never cared about the soldiers. These are the same people who lied about One Rank One Pension (OROP) by proclaiming a meagre amount of 500 crore rupees. It is our government that implemented OROP and gave over 1.25 lakh crore rupees to the ex-servicemen. Where is 500 crore and where is 1.25 lakh crore! Such a huge lie and the sin of deceiving the country's soldiers! These are the same people who, even after seven decades of independence, despite the demand from the army and the families of the brave soldiers, did not build a war memorial for our martyrs, kept postponing it, formed committees, and continued to draw plans. These are the same people who did not even provide adequate bulletproof jackets to our soldiers stationed at the border. And friends, these are the same people who kept ignoring Kargil Vijay Diwas. It is only due to the blessings of the countless people of this country that I got the opportunity to form the government for the third time, and hence, we can commemorate this important historical event today. Otherwise, if they had come back to power, they would not have remembered this victory of the war.

Friends,

The victory of Kargil was not a victory of any government or any party. It was the victory of the country; it is the heritage of the nation. It is a festival of the country's pride and self-respect. Once again, I respectfully bow to my brave soldiers on behalf of 140 crore countrymen. I once again extend my best wishes to all countrymen on the 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay. Say with me - Bharat Mata ki Jai!!! This 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' is for those brave martyrs, for the brave sons of my Bharat Mata.

Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

Bharat Mata ki – Jai!

Thank you very much.

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

***

DS/RT/VK/AK