Union Minister and BJP Candidate for Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency, Dr Jitendra Singh on Sunday said that the Congress led UPA government had demoralised the armed forces, whereas Narendra Modi after taking over as Prime Minister gave them a free hand to strike which not only boosted their morale but also delivered rich dividends for the nation.

Addressing a series of election meetings at different places of Kathua along the International Border (IB) with Pakistan, Dr Jitendra Singh said during 10 years of the UPA government, armed forces did not have the freedom to retaliate even in the face of fierce attacks on the border, nor did they have the freedom to hit back even when they were repeatedly subjected to ambush attacks by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.

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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 terror base camps and shatter both its defence as well as its morale and ammunition, he pointed out.

Dr Jitendra Singh said India unfortunately had to go through times when the indecisive approach of UPA government coupled with appeasement policy to keep a certain section of society in good humour resulted in letting down the Armed Forces. 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 said.

Today, said Dr Singh , 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, he said, that issue has also been addressed by the Modi government with the construction of family bunkers in each household along the border, which provides facilities almost as optimum as a one-room flat.

Very soon, the BJP leader said, 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. Similarly, raising of exclusive battalions along the border has increased the opportunities of employment, he said.

The minister also enumerated the steps that the Modi government has taken for the welfare of residents of the border villages.