New Delhi: In what took the country and the world by surprise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 3 visited Ladakh and boosted the morale of the Indian armed forces when he addressed soldiers posted along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that the courage they demonstrated had sent a message to the entire world.
The visit comes after the sudden cancellation of a visit by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Ladakh.
Days after the confrontation between soldiers of the Indian Army and the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) of China, he said tales about the valour of Indian soldiers were being spoken in every house across the country.
‘The enemy has seen your fire and fury as well,’ Modi told the soldiers in an address telecast live from Ladakh to the country.
He also referred to the violent clash between soldiers of India and China at Galwan on June 15 and paid his tributes to soldiers who laid down their lives. He was accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, Army Chief General MM Naravane and other top Army officers.
“From Leh, Ladakh to Siachen and Kargil…and Galwan’s icy waters…every mountain, every peak is witness to the valour of Indian soldiers,” Modi said. “You have given a befitting reply to people who attempted to conquer,” he told them before going on to deliver his direct message to China.
He underscored that India had always pursued the path of peace in the world but at the same time, those who are weak can never initiate steps for peace. “Bravery and courage is a prerequisite for peace,” he said.
“We are the same people who pray to the flute playing Lord Krishna but we are also the same people who idolise and follow the same Lord Krishna who carries the ‘Sudarshana Chakra,” the Prime Minister said.
Without naming Beijing that has been trying to encroach into Indian territory in Galwan valley and Pangong Tso and create new boundary disputes, he said times have changed and the era of expansionism was over. This is the time for development, not expansion, he said.
The Prime Minister kept up his barbed attack on China saying expansionist policies of some countries had affected world peace. He said this referring to the disputes that China had with 21 of its neighbours.
But history records that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back, he said, as a parting shot.
The day trip was chalked out by Prime Minister’s Office and kept closely guarded till the last moment.
News of the visit got out sometime after he landed at Leh’s airport, a height of over 11,000 feet with rarefied atmosphere, dry air and ultra-violet rays from the sun in the cold desert.
Modi, 69, headed straight for his briefing by top military commanders at the XIV Corps headquarters at Nimu outside Leh. He had similar briefings back in Delhi also.
His arrival in Leh had already delivered the first set of messages to Beijing. It also contrasts India’s approach to the standoffs along the Line of Actual Control to Chinese leadership’s efforts to signal a hands-off approach.
The visit is also a very strong message to President Xi Jinping that either he gets his aggressive Western Theatre Commander Zhao Zongqi to restore status quo ante or accept the inevitable consequences of PLA escalation. The Indian Army and Chinese PLA are locked up at four points on the LAC in East Ladakh with the latter consolidating on ground while mouthing peace overtures.
The location at Nimu where Modi addressed soldiers from the Army, Air Force, ITBP and Border Road Organisation resembled an active forward base.
