Kathua, Apr 14: “The UPA government had demoralised the Armed Forces, while Narendra Modi after taking over as Prime Minister gave them a free hand to strike which not only boosted the morale of the forces but also delivered rich dividends for the nation,” Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Udhampur-Doda-Kathua Lok Sabha constituency Dr Jitendra Singh said on Sunday.
Addressing a series of public meetings in different locations along the International Border (IB) over here, Dr Jitendra said, “During 10 years of the UPA government, armed forces did not have the freedom to retaliate even in the face of the fierce attacks on the border, nor did they have the freedom to retaliate even when they were repeatedly subjected to ambush attacks by Pak-sponsored terrorists. After Modi came to power, the forces were given the freedom not only to retaliate but to take proactive action as per their professional discretion, the result of which was the surgical strike where for the first time Indian forces had the opportunity to strike at the enemy’s base camp and shatter both its defence as well as its morale and ammunition.”
India, unfortunately, had to go through times when the indecisive approach of the UPA government coupled with the appeasement policy to keep a certain section of society in good humour resulted in letting down the Armed forces, he said. This not only resulted in repeated frequent cross-border firing and frequent terrorist attacks but also led to restraining the Army’s enormous potential to fight the enemy, he added.
Today, Dr Singh said, there is not a single incident of stone pelting in the Kashmir Valley whereas on the international border, people have been liberated from the agony of frequently fleeing from their homes and hearths to take shelter randomly sometimes in Panchayat Ghar, sometimes in school buildings and sometimes in relative’s house.
Today, the issue has also been addressed by the Modi government with the construction of family bunkers in each household along the border, which provides a facility almost as optimum as a one-room flat.
“Very soon, the new generation living along the border who are actually the first line of defence, would have forgotten all the hardships that their elders had to go through because now they are also cultivating their land up to the last point, which has led to hike in the income of the farmers along the IB,” he said. “Similarly, the raising of exclusive battalions along the border has increased the opportunities of employment.”
Emphasising that the government under PM Modi addressed the issue of border at two levels (a) by allowing the Army a free hand and (b) by providing ease of living to the people living along the International border.
The Union Minister said PM Modi has been repeatedly reiterating that he knows only four classes of the society of which two are the farmers and the poor and the other two being the youth and women. By addressing these four classes, there is a miraculous improvement and transformation in the conditions of the people along the borders, he said.
Modi has also named the border villages the “First” villages to give the dwellers living there the esteem and pride they deserve, Dr Singh added.
