Prime Minister Narendra Modi will celebrate Diwali with security forces in Bastar. He said, "This is an area where Naxalism once held sway and now, development is flourishing." Since 2014, the Prime Minister has spent every Diwali with jawans at various frontiers instead of staying at his official Delhi residence.
For decades, Naxalites ruled Bastar's dense forests, blew up roads, schools and police stations and killed innocent tribals.
Out of 13 Diwali, PM Modi has celebrated five Diwalis with jawans in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
New Delhi:
Thirteen Diwalis. Thirteen frontiers. One unbroken promise. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in Bastar, it will not be his first celebration with men in uniform, it will be the 13th time he has chosen jawans over celebrations, and the border over Delhi.
This time, the Prime Minister is heading to Bastar, which was once the hub of Naxalite terror. He himself announced it on X, that he will celebrate Diwali with the brave security forces there.
"This is an area where Naxalism once held sway and now, development is flourishing. I am going to salute our brave security personnel for their sacrifices, selfless service and unwavering devotion to the nation," the Prime Minister posted on X.
Since 2014, when he took charge as the Prime Minister of the country, unlike his predecessors, he has not celebrated Diwali at his official residence in Delhi. Instead, he has celebrated it where India's bravehearts guard the most dangerous frontiers of India - in Siachen's ice, in Kargil's heights, on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the sea, and now in Bastar.
In Bastar, he will interact with security force personnel, exchange sweets and address them.
How Bastar Was Won Back
Bastar was once a place where even the writ of the state feared to enter. For decades, Naxalites ruled its dense forests, blew up roads, schools and police stations, killed innocent tribals, and kept an entire region hostage to fear. Security forces fought a long, gruelling war here - not just with guns, but with patience.
Through sustained anti-Naxal operations, establishment of forward security camps deep inside the forests, and by cutting off the supply lines of the Maoists, they slowly pushed the ultras back.
Hundreds of personnel laid down their lives, and thousands of tribals stood with the forces. Today, roads have reached villages that were cut off for 40 years, schools and hospitals have reopened, and polling booths that once saw zero voting now see long queues.
It is because of the grit and determination of these forces that peace and prosperity have returned to an area where once even eagles feared to tread.
What This Visit Means
This visit carries a message far larger than a festival. To the security force personnel fighting Naxalites, this visit says - you are not alone. The nation's highest office is not watching you from Delhi, it is standing with you in the conflict zone.
To the people of Bastar, who had to face the brunt of Naxalite terrorism, it is an assurance that the country has not forgotten their sacrifice. Their pain is the nation's pain, and their Diwali is the nation's Diwali.
And to every Indian celebrating at home, it is a reminder - our homes are lit tonight because someone else is standing guard in the dark. Be it Army men guarding the border or security forces countering terror in the hinterland.
"It is reassurance, resolve, and remembrance - all in one visit," said Commodore Dalbir Sodhi (retired).
Out of 13 Diwali, PM Modi has celebrated five Diwalis with jawans in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The journey began in 2014 at Siachen Base Camp, with soldiers at the world's highest battlefield.
Three years later, in 2017, he was in Gurez Valley with Army and Border Security Forces (BSF) personnel along the Line of Control (LoC). In 2019, he celebrated in Rajouri along the LoC on Infantry Day, and in 2021, he was back on the LoC in Nowshera. In 2022, he paid tribute to the heroes of the 1999 Kargil War from Kargil in Ladakh.
And now, in 2026, he has chosen Bastar to celebrate Diwali with the security forces who brought the region back from the brink.
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