Eyeing our land earns a befitting reply: Modi
Without naming China, PM delivers a warning to neighbour in his radio talk
NEW DELHI: India honours the spirit of friendship but those who have “cast an evil eye” on its territory received a befitting response, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday, remarks that came in the backdrop of a simmering border dispute with China that has strained ties between the two Asian powerhouses.
In his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, Modi also paid tributes to the 20 Indian Army soldiers who died in a violent brawl with Chinese troops along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, and said the country is capable of giving an appropriate response to any adversary.
“Our brave soldiers have proven that they will not let anyone cast an evil eye on the glory and honour of Mother India,” Modi said without naming China. He stressed that India’s way of life inspires “one and all to serve selflessly”, but at the same time the country is committed to safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Tensions have peaked on the border in the aftermath of the June 15 skirmish, the first deadly conflict between Indian and Chinese soldiers along the LAC in 45 years. According to India’s assessment, the casualties suffered by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) were twice the deaths on the Indian side. Beijing has not disclosed the number of soldiers it lost.
In his radio address, Modi said: “...the entire country comes together in paying tributes to the bravery of our jawans who attained martyrdom in Ladakh. The entire country bows to them in reverence, with gratitude. Just like their family members, every Indian painfully regrets the loss.”
He added that India, which is facing multiple challenges including the coronavirus disease pandemic, cyclones and locust attacks, also has had to “deal with the designs of some of our neighbours”.
The Prime Minister appealed to citizens to use indigenously made products, saying being “vocal for local” is also a way to strengthen the country and to serve it. Modi said India’s aim is to become self-reliant, its tradition is trust and friendship, and its spirit is brotherhood.
“We will keep moving ahead abiding by these principles,” he said.“A self-reliant India would be a tribute to our martyrs in the truest, deepest sense.”
In May, his government announced a ₹20-lakh-crore welfare package to boost the economy and make India “selfreliant” in the face of the disruptions triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In his radio address, Modi also referred to a woman from Assam, who, he said, wrote that she has resolved to buy only local products after watching the developments in eastern Ladakh. “I am receiving messages on these lines from every corner of the country,” Modi said.
Amid the border face-off with China, a clamour to boycott Chinese goods has been growing. Backers of the move say this will hurt the neighbouring country economically.