Army displays valour, doesn’t believe in talking: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the Army “displays its valour and does not believe in talking”, an apparent jibe at political opponents who criticised him for “not responding” to the September 18 terror attack in Kashmir’s Uri.

“They were saying Modi is sleeping, Modi is not doing anything,” the PM said days after India’s military operation against terrorists in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on September 28-29.

“Like our Army, which does not talk but displays its valour, our defence minister also does not talk. But when I said this earlier, they (critics) would tear my hair out,” the PM said at the inauguration of a war memorial in Bhopal even as the audience clapped and raised patriotic slogans.

Mr Modi said the strength of the Army lay in moral support from 120 crore Indians, not the modern weapons they carried. The comment comes amid a clamour by opposition parties for proof of the surgical strikes across the LoC carried out after the Uri attack by Pakistan-based terrorists in which 19 soldiers were killed.

The PM also sought to deflect criticism of alleged excesses in Kashmir where more than 90 civilians have been killed in clashes with security forces in the last three months. He referred to the Army’s relief and rescue operations in Srinagar during floods two years ago and said, “Not once did my soldiers think that these are the same people who pelted stones at them, maimed them.”

Addressing ex-servicemen and their families during his three-hour visit to Bhopal ahead of the Brics meet in Goa, Mr Modi hailed the spirit and sacrifices of the armed forces in adverse situations, but underlined that the Indian Army never waged a war to capture territory. “But if it comes to fighting for values and ideals, India is never found wanting,” he said.

“The Army is the happiest when people sleep in peace, but it will never forgive us if we sleep when we should be awake. Unfortunately, we have been found sleeping when we should have been awake,” Mr Modi said without elaborating.

He also highlighted the Army’s role in rescue and relief operations in Yemen. “While rescuing Indians in Yemen, Indian Army also rescued a few Pakistanis. This is the example of humanity. We are also one of the biggest contributors to the UN peacekeeping forces,” said Mr Modi. “In some countries, when people see jawans at airports or railway stations, they stand up and salute, we should also adopt this,” he said.

The PM also recalled the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers during the two world wars, saying that around 1.5 lakh Indian jawans laid down their lives though the wars had nothing to with India.

The PM hit out at the previous UPA government with regard to the one-rank-one-pension scheme and said, “Previous governments made empty promises but when we came to power, we fulfilled our promise.”