"It is a tradition that people celebrate #Diwali with their families, I also decided to celebrate it with my family. So I have come here to celebrate with you. You are my family," PM said while addressing Army jawans in Rajouri. Wearing a combat jacket, Modi exchanged wishes and sweets during his nearly two-hour-long interaction with the troops deployed along the Line of Control, officials said.
Addressing the 1,000-strong soldiers, Modi said, "The valour of the Indian defence forces made it possible for the central government to take decisions which were hitherto considered impossible."
"Time has changed. Our armed forces should be modern, our arms and ammunition should be modern. Our training should be at par with the global benchmark. There should be no lines of stress on the faces of our jawans, PM said.
"There are many border areas but this region where you are, is unique. Be it war, insurgency, infiltration - this has had to suffer all of it and it has come out of that every time. It's a region which has never seen defeat. It's not only victorious but also invincible," PM Modi amid chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' by Army jawans. PM Modi also distributed sweets and gifts to Army jawans here.
This is for the third time that the prime minister visited Jammu and Kashmir to celebrate Diwali with the troops in the border state since 2014, and first after the abrogation of Article 370 provisions. PM Modi has been spending his Diwali with soldiers in different location along India-Pakistan or India-China border.
"Celebrated #Diwali with the brave soldiers of the Indian Army in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir. It is always a matter of great joy to be able to interact with these courageous personnel," PM Modi tweeted.
"While interacting with our soldiers, I thanked them on behalf of the people of India for their monumental service. Their vigilance and valour keeps our nation safe! I also spoke about the major steps our Government is taking for the welfare of soldiers," PM Modi said in another tweet.
The prime minister's visit coincided with Infantry Day celebrations, which is observed to mark the landing of first Indian troops in Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 to push back Pakistan supported intruders. Modi directly flew to the Army Brigade Headquarters in the border district to interact with the troops deployed along the LoC, the officials said.
Modi started the practice of interacting with troops serving in tough areas on Diwali soon after taking over as the prime minister in 2014 when he had spent his Diwali at Siachen in Ladakh region with the Jawans, besides visiting the flood victims in Srinagar. He visited Gurez sector of north Kashmir in 2017 and spent his Diwali with soldiers deployed there.
In 2015, he visited the Punjab border on Diwali. His visit coincided with 50 years of 1965 Indo-Pak War. The next year, Modi was in Himachal Pradesh, where he spent time with Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel at an outpost.
Last year, PM Modi has visited Uttarakhand and celebrated Diwali with Army jawans and ITBP jawans in Harshil. The Prime Minister had then recalled that he has been visiting soldiers on Diwali ever since he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He also spoke of his interactions with the ITBP personnel, years ago when he was part of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
(with inputs from PTI)