Modi visited Tiger Hill during Kargil War: Ex-Army officer

A Kargil War veteran on Thursday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Tiger Hill a day after it was recaptured during the conflict to "boost" the morale of the Army. Brigadier (retired) Khushal Thakur, who is now a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said Modi's visit to the Tiger Hill showed his "concern" about national security even when he was not holding any official post.

Modi was then neither prime minister nor Gujarat chief minister when he visited the strategic peak on July 5 in 1999, a day after it had been recaptured, Thakur, who was the commanding officer of the 18 Grenadiers that recaptured the strategic peaks during the conflict, told reporters here. At that time, Modi was the incharge of the Himachal Pradesh BJP, Thakur said.

The BJP leader claimed that the country witnessed a "paradigm" shift in its national security and foreign policy during Modi's five-year tenure, adding that the saffron party's policy of zero-tolerance against terrorism was "proved" through surgical and air strikes. Thakur said 52 soldiers of Himachal Pradesh laid down their lives during the Kargil War and two received Param Vir Chakras, the country's highest military award, he added.

He said the issue of creating a Himachal Regiment would be taken up with the Centre. Efforts will be made to increase the quota for the state's youth in the Army by making suitable changes in the existing recruitable male population (RMP) formula, he added. PTI DJI

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