Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday slammed the opposition for politicising the “Agnipath” recruitment scheme of the Army and said they are deliberately misleading the youth on the issue.

He paid homage to the bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty on the occasion of 25th Kargil Vijay Diwas at Dras in Ladakh.

Amid the surge in terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, Modi issued a stern warning to Pakistan and said India would defeat every terror challenge.

The Prime Minister also witnessed the first blast of the Shinkun La Tunnel Project in Ladakh, virtually today. Shinkun La Tunnel Project consists of a 4.1 km long Twin-Tube tunnel to be constructed at around 15,800 feet on the Nimu – Padum – Darcha Road to provide all-weather connectivity to Leh.

Reacting publicly for the first time on the criticism of the opposition on the “Agnipath” scheme, Modi said some people are also spreading the misconception that the government has brought this scheme to save pension money.

“The question of pension for today’s recruits will arise after 30 years. Why would the government take a decision on it today? It should have left it for the governments of that time. We have respected this decision taken by the armed forces because for us, national security is paramount, not politics,” he said.

“The Agnipath scheme is also an example of the necessary reforms done by the Army,” he said.

“Some people used to think that the Army means saluting politicians, doing parades but for us, the Army means the faith of 140 crore countrymen. The goal of Agnipath is to make the Army young, to keep the Army continuously fit for war. Unfortunately, some people have made such a sensitive issue related to national security a subject of politics. These are the same people who weakened our Army by committing scams worth thousands of crores in the purchase of equipment for the Army”, he said.

He criticized the past unwillingness for the modernization of the Air Force fleet.

The Prime Minister pointed out that those misleading the youth of the nation today had no regard for the armed forces in the past.

Recalling the false promises made by past governments on One Rank One Pension, he underlined that it was the present government that implemented the scheme where ex-servicemen were given more than Rs 1.25 lakh crore.

He further pointed out the neglect of past governments and said, “These are the same people who did not build a war memorial for the martyrs even after 7 decades of independence, did not provide enough bulletproof jackets to our soldiers deployed on the border and kept ignoring Kargil Vijay Diwas.”

Speaking about the Kargil war, the PM said; “In Kargil, we not only won the war, we presented an incredible example of ‘truth, restraint and strength”, Prime Minister Modi remarked.

The Prime Minister threw light on Pakistan’s deceit at the time when India was making all efforts to maintain peace. “ Falsehood and terror were brought down to their knees by truth”, he added.

Condemning terrorism, the Prime Minister said that Pakistan has always faced defeat in the past. “Pakistan has not learnt anything from its past and has continued to wage war in the garb of terrorism and proxy wars to stay relevant,” Shri Modi continued. The Prime Minister asserted that the nefarious intentions of terrorists will never be fulfilled. “Our Bravehearts will trample all the terror attempts,” he added.

“India will overcome all challenges that come in the way of development, be it Ladakh or Jammu & Kashmir”, the Prime Minister reiterated. He reminded that in a few days from now on 5th of August, the abrogation of Article 370 will complete 5 years and the Jammu & Kashmir of today is talking about a new future full of dreams. The Prime Minister gave examples of progress and said “This heaven on earth is swiftly moving in the direction of peace and prosperity”, the Prime Minister added.

Underlining the developments taking place in Ladakh, the Prime Minister said through Shinkun La Tunnel, the Union territory will remain connected with the whole country throughout the year, in every season.

In the last 10 years, defence reforms have been prioritized, making our forces more capable and self-reliant,” he added.

Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brig (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd), Union Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth, Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan and the Chiefs of Army Staff of the three armed forces were present on the occasion.