Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Kargil on Monday morning to celebrate Diwali. He has been celebrating the festival of lights with security personnel since he became the Prime Minister, a tradition he began in 2014 and has continued with since then.
Here’s a look at all the Diwalis that Modi has celebrated with security personnel.
2014
The PM celebrated Diwali that year with the troops at the Siachen Glacier. “From the icy heights of the Siachen Glacier & with the brave Jawans & Officers of the Armed Forces, I wish all of you a Happy Diwali,” Modi had tweeted at the time.
2015
This time, instead of heading up to the icy cold mountains, the PM decided to visit Punjab as he made stops at three different war memorials to honor India’s win in the war of 1965. That year marked the 50th anniversary. At the time, he had said that his visits to the locations were to honor the places where the “Indian Armed Forces shed blood and made the supreme sacrifice during that war.”
2016
Modi visited the troops that are stationed along the China border in Himachal Pradesh that year. There, he met personnel from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police as well as the army at Sumdoh.
2017
In what was a relatively quick trip, the PM spent time in North Kashmir in the Gurez sector, saying that the time spent there had given him “new energy.”
2018
The PM made a surprise visit to the troops in Harsil, Uttarakhand after which he made a stop at Kedarnath Dham.
2019
Once more, Modi made a stop in Kashmir, this time opting to visit security personnel in Rajouri.
2020
Modi visited the border town of Longewala, Rajasthan and said that Diwali was only complete when he was with soldiers either in the mountains or in the desert.
2021
Last year was the the PM’s first Diwali in Kashmir, in Nowshera after his government abrogated Article 370, which afforded Kashmir a special legal status. “I feel privileged that I got to spend Diwali with our brave soldiers in Nowshera, not as Prime Minister but as a member of their family,” he tweeted at the time.
