Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew the nation’s attention to the challenges India faces from terrorism and expansionism in his 88-minute Independence Day address from the Red Fort on Sunday, in a veiled reference to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and China’s expansionist policy in Ladakh and its resolve to strengthen the armed forces’ capabilities.
The PM said India was fighting terrorism and expansionism with courage, and the government would take all steps to strengthen the capabilities of the armed forces. “Today, the world is looking at India from a new perspective and this vision has two important aspects…One terrorism and the other expansionism. India is fighting these two challenges and responding to them astutely and with great courage,” the PM said.
He said that the 2016 surgical strikes and the 2019 air strikes against terror pads in Pakistan sent a strong message to the country’s enemies about the emergence of a ‘new India’ and its resolve to take tough decisions. “India has given a stern signal to its enemies by conducting surgical and air strikes. This tells us that India is changing and can take the most difficult decisions and isn’t reluctant to implement them,” he said
While the air strikes against a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror facility in Pakistan’s Balakot followed the Pulwama attack, the 2016 strikes against terror pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were India’s first direct military response to the suicide attack on an army camp in Uri.
The remarks came a day after the government announced the Ashok Chakra and Kirti Chakra, the country’s highest and second-highest peacetime gallantry awards, for two Jammu and Kashmir personnel killed in terrorist encounters.
The reference to the fight against expansionism is significant in light of the ongoing border dispute with China in eastern Ladakh, where the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army are negotiating to remove front-line troops from flashpoints along the disputed Line of Actual Control.
The Army announced on August 6 that the two armies had pulled back their forward deployed troops from Gogra or Patrol Point-17A, one of the LAC’s friction points, with the breakthrough occurring after the 12th round of military talks on July 31. The issues at Hot Springs and Depsang are still being worked out. For more than 15 months, India and China have been locked in a border dispute.
The PM mentioned the aircraft carrier Vikrant, as well as locally manufactured light combat aircraft and submarines, emphasising how the projects demonstrated India’s indigenous manufacturing capability. On August 3, India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) Vikrant, the country’s largest warship, began critical sea trials ahead of its planned induction into the Navy in less than a year.
The Prime Minister also emphasised India’s growing defence manufacturing prowess and the government’s unwavering commitment to increasing Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in the defence sector.
He also stated that Sainik Schools across the country would welcome female students.
