SRINAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Ladakh on Friday to interact with the soldiers who were injured in the Galwan Valley fist fighting with Chinese troops. The issue in this remote belt on the Shayok banks is yet to be resolved as both sides are engaged in the eyeball to eyeball confrontation.
PM Speech
In a surprise move, Prime Minister flew to Leh, interacted with the officers of the army, ITBP and other security agencies and visited the injured soldiers. He later addressed Army at Nimu.
“Cost of border infrastructure has been made threefold. The roads at the border are being strengthened and thus, travel is faster and the time taken to bring things to the region is less,” Modi said in his speech. He took a dig at China also. “The age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development. History is witness that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back.”
ANI quoted the Prime Minister saying: “We are the same people who pray to the flute playing Lord Krishna but we are also the same people who idolise and follow the same Lord Krishna who carries the Sudarshana Chakra.”
In his speech, Modi had referred twice to the Galwan valley, wherefrom the crisis started. China claims sovereignty over the entire Galwan valley. “This soil is imbibed with stories of valour of its brave son. From Leh-Ladakh to Kargil and Siachen, from the snowy peaks of Rezang La to the cold water stream of Galwan valley, every peak, every mountain, each and every particle, every pebble-stone is a testimony to the might of Indian soldiers,” Modi said. (China has reacted to his statements in Beijing and Delhi)
Details
Here is what the Prime Minister said:
“Friends, your dedication to the protection of motherland is matchless. The conditions in which you are protecting and serving India, nobody in the world can compete with that. The bravery that you and your compatriots showed, a message has gone to the world about India’s strength. Your courage is higher than the heights where you are posted today.”
“Your willpower is as firm as the mountains which we can see. Today, I can feel and see with my eyes that when the duty of protection of India is in your hands, the whole country believes in you and they feel relaxed. This inspires the citizens to work day and night for the country. Atmanirbhar Bharat ka sankalp aapke ke tyaag, balidaan, pursharth ke karan aur bhi mazboot hota hai,” he added
“The courage which you all and your peers showed has sent across the message across the world about India’s strength. I can see women, soldiers, too. This inspires us more.”
“The bravery of 14 Corps will be talked about everywhere. Tales of your bravery and valour are echoing in every house in the country. Bharat Mata’s enemies have seen your fire and fury.”
“Those who are weak can never initiate peace, bravery is a pre-requisite for peace. Whether World Wars or peace, whenever the need arises, the world has seen the victory of our braves and their efforts towards peace. We have worked for the betterment of humanity.”
“We are the same people who pray to the flute playing Lord Krishna but we are also the same people who idolise and follow the same Lord Krishna who carries the ‘Sudarshana Chakra'”
Film In Making
But the ground situation will not stop the Bollywood from cashing in on the clash that triggered a sort of crisis between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Ajay Devgan has announced that he will be making a film on the Galwan Valley clash that led to the killing of twenty soldiers including the Colonel of the unit. Interestingly, the point at which the clash too k place is reportedly still not retrieved from the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).
Reports appearing in the media suggest that the actor intends to start the shooting once the Coronavirus pandemic subsides. However, there is no detail about who is writing the story and what it will be all about.
Credit goes to the Bollywood, the vibrant reel life empire that it never misses a chance to cash on what is happening around, especially on the matters of security. Unlike Hollywood, however, these stories are not the real stories of the events that have any historic reference.
Balakote Strike
There are more than two Bollywood movies on the airstrike at Balakote.
In December 2019, producer Bhushan Kumar announced that he will be making a film on the Balakote airstrike by the IAF. The film, he said would be written and directed by Abhishe Kapoor.
The airstrike took place on February 26, 2019, days after the car bomb explosion in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Though the government said they killed 300 Jaish militants and destroyed their training camp, it was not confirmed by the international media reports. However, one fighter aircraft fell on the other side of the LoC and its pilot was caught and sent home.
It is still not known who will play the role of the Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman in the film that Kapoor would be directing.
Earlier in August 2019, Vivek Oberoi announced his film on the airstrike. Titled Balakot, the tri-lingual film was supposed to be based on the air strikes and the subsequent drama of Abhinandan’s capture and release.
“The Balakot air strike were one of the most well-planned attacks by the IAF,” Oberoi told in his announcement. “I have followed everything in the news right from the attack in Pulwama to the air strikes in Balakot. There was a lot that was speculated and spoken about back then; this film will put all of that to rest, once and for all. I thank the IAF for trusting us with this story and we hope to do justice to it.”
The Uri Film
The race for making films on security issues started after a group of newcomers did a low budget film Uri: The Surgical Strike, which was reportedly based on army’s secret strike on Pakistani base on September 29, 2016. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the film starred Vicky Kaushal in the role of Major Vihaan Singh Shergill.
The film was a huge hit, breaking many records. So far, it has earned almost Rs 350 crore across the globe. It was released in January 2019, almost a quarter ahead of the last Lok Sabah elections on which, it seemingly had a good impact.
