Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to those who lost their lives during the Kargil War on the 21st anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, also cautioning citizens not do anything that might detract from the honour of the armed forces serving at the borders.

He said this during his monthly radio broadcast “Mann Ki Baat” on Sunday. He recalled late Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s speech from the Red Fort after India had prevailed over Pakistan in the Kargil War where he had stated that just like Mahatma Gandhi’s talisman urged people to keep the most oppressed at the centre of all actions in case of doubt, so too should citizens keep martyred soldiers in mind while saying anything on the security situation.

“Nowadays it is very easy to post a comment on social media or forward something said casually. But we don’t realise the effect it has on the morale of those posted on our borders. What we say here has a huge effect on those serving on the border.” He said the Kargil War took place at a time when India was engaged in peace talks with Pakistan, but that that country had backstabbed India to wage war, only to distract attention from its own domestic issues.

‘Independence’ from pandemic

He also urged Indians to resolve to gain ‘independence’ from the coronavirus pandemic on August 15, and said while India, due to a unified effort, has kept its mortality rates and overall numbers low compared to other countries precautions must always be observed. “I know that wearing a mask, constant hand washing, maintaining distance can irk after some time, but whenever you feel the urge to remove your mask, remember the COVID warriors like doctors and para medics who are risking their lives everyday to combat the disease.”

He lauded local body representative in rural India for coming up with innovative methods to sanitise conditions and create capacity to deal with the pandemic.

Resilience and innovation in rural India

He urged people to look up the life of freedom fight Lokmanya Tilak as this year marked 100 years of his passing. “There is much to learn from his life,” said Prime Minister Modi. He also spoke to students who had done well in board exams results of which were recently declared.

He especially remarked on the efforts to grow apricots in Ladakh and dragon fruit in Kutch, both areas with extreme weather conditions and said it was a sign of the resilience and innovation in rural India.