Author: Suchandana Gupta, TNN
Publication: The Times of India
Date: October 15, 2016
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Army-serves-those-who-hurl-stones-at-them-says-PM-Narendra-Modi/articleshow/54860540.cms
Praising the armed forces for their role in humanitarian assistance, PM Narendra Modi said the Army had worked unstintingly during the floods in Jammu and Kashmir two years ago without complaining.
He said that they were serving those who hurled stones at them causing serious injuries.
While he steered clear of any direct reference to the surgical strikes, Modi said Indian soldiers let their acts of bravery do the talking and suggested that he had adequately responded to critics who accused him of sleeping in the wake of the Pathankot and Uri terror attacks.
"Two years ago, there were devastating floods in Srinagar. An unprecedented deluge which even the government found difficult to manage. The country saw our jawans in Srinagar leading the rescue operations. They did not complain that they were serving those who pelt stones at them, extract their eyes and even kill them. When humanity called, they served their countrymen with total dedication," Modi said.
Addressing a gathering of ex-servicemen+ , war widows and students, he obliquely referred to the Army action and said, "Our soldiers don't talk, they just do their acts of bravery. Recently, there were allegations that Modi is sleeping, not doing anything. And like the Army, our defence minister also speaks very little."
Modi's support for defence minister Manohar Parrikar is significant as it comes a day after the top party leadership backed him against the charge of politicising the surgical strikes. The PM made it clear through his comparison that he sees Parrikar as a man of action like the Indian troops who conducted the raids across the Line of Control.
The PM was in the Madhya Pradesh capital to inaugurate the Shaurya Smarak war memorial constructed by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.
Speaking for nearly 45 minutes on the heroism of Indian soldiers, Modi urged civilians to honour and respect soldiers who lay down their lives guarding the borders and ensuring that the country sleeps peacefully at night.
"Often in foreign countries, when sitting at airports or railways stations, we see that soldiers are given standing ovation by civilians even when they just pass by. Seeing three to four soldiers walk by, people stand up and applaud, clap for them," the PM said. "Can we make this effort slowly and develop it into a tradition to show respect to our defence forces? These are small gestures but make a huge difference in our lives and soldiers' lives."
Modi said it was not just the soldier's responsibility to keep awake for the country. "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. But why should our soldiers who sacrifice their youth guarding the nation be the only ones vigilant? It is also the duty of civilians to be awake. Ammunition is not the biggest morale for the defence forces, it is the support and solidarity shown by 125 crore countrymen that boosts their confidence," he said.
Modi said the Army's deeds exemplified humanity and it was the largest contributor to peace-keeping forces. He reiterated that when Indian citizens were stuck during the Yemen crisis, the Army rescued and brought back 5,000 countrymen safely home.
|