Defence top priority, says Nadda
India will forever remember its soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the Kargil war with Pakistan despite facing adverse circumstances, said BJP president J.P. Nadda on Sunday as he asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “zero tolerance policy” against encroachment on Indian border which has always boosted the morale of the Armed Forces.
Asserting that the defence sector has always received Mr Modi’s special focus, the BJP president cited ‘one rank one pension’ scheme, Rafale fighter aircrafts, Chinook and Apache helicopters and the near completion of 72 border projects, which were “lying pending during the UPA regime” and the PM’s visits to border areas, including the recent one at Ladakh.
Paying homage to Kargil war martyrs on the 21st anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, Mr Nadda said during the war, the then Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had approached the then US President Bill Clinton to intervene but Indian PM Atal Behari Vajpayee made it clear that there will be no ceasefire until India gets back its territories encroached by Pakistan. In the same breath, he mentioned Modi led NDA government’s “zero tolerance policy” against encroachment of Indian territories at a time when India and China are holding talks over de-escalation and opposition Congress is asking the PM to come clean on whether or not China has encroached or Indian territory in Ladakh. Mr Nadda also mentioned that the PM visited Ladakh recently during the standoff with China and said that the Prime minister spends every Diwali with the armed forces.
Hailing the armed forces, Mr Nadda said Pakistan was in an “advantageous” position during the Kargil war after occupying mountain heights but Indian soldiers drew inspiration from the challenge and fought with valour.