Kargil Vijay Diwas: India ready to cross LoC to maintain country’s honour & dignity: Rajnath Singh | India News – Times of India
Addressing an event at the Kargil War Memorial in Ladakh, the defence minister urged the civilians to be ready to participate in wars not only indirectly but directly as well, if ever the need arises.
Citing the example of the Russia-Ukraine war, he said the war has been going on for more than a year because civilians have stepped up and are participating in the war.
“No compromise will be made in protecting the sovereignty, unity and integrity of the country. We have given a free hand to the armed forces to eliminate the nation’s enemies. India is a peace-loving nation which believes in its centuries-old values and is committed towards international laws, but to safeguard our interests, we will not hesitate in crossing the LoC,” he said.
“We can go to any extreme to maintain the honour and dignity of the country…if that includes crossing the LoC, we are ready to do that. If we are provoked and if the need arises, we will cross the LoC,” Singh added.
Referring to the Russia-Ukraine war, the defence minister pointed out that the war which has been continuing for more than one year, reflects the unpredictable nature of conflicts in today’s times.
“People should be mentally prepared, so that whenever the nation needs them, they should be ready to help the armed forces. Just as every soldier is an Indian, in the same way, every Indian should be ready to play the role of a soldier,” he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Singh laid a wreath and saluted the jawans who lost their lives during the 1999 Kargil conflict at the war memorial in Drass. After the wreath-laying ceremony, he interacted with veterans, ‘veer naris’, gallantry award recipients and locals and conveyed his gratitude.
The defence minister also called upon the Army to work towards ensuring that the contribution of these unsung heroes does not go unnoticed.
(With agency inputs)
