Maintaining his tradition of meeting soldiers on Diwali, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reached Lepcha in Himachal Pradesh to celebrate the festival with security forces. Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has been visiting military facilities to celebrate Diwali.

“Reached Lepcha in Himachal Pradesh to celebrate Diwali with our brave security forces,” Modi said in a post on ‘X’.

Earlier, he greeted people on Diwali and wished them joy, prosperity and health. “Wishing everyone a Happy Diwali! May this special festival bring joy, prosperity and wonderful health to everyone’s lives,” Modi said.

How PM Modi celebrated Diwali since 2014:

Diwali 2014 (Siachen): The prime minister celebrated Diwali in 2014, the year the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power at the Centre, the festival with security forces in Siachen. “From the icy heights of the Siachen Glacier & with the brave Jawans & Officers of the Armed Forces, I wish all of you a Happy Diwali,” he had tweeted at the time.

Diwali 2015 (Punjab): In 2015, Modi visited three memorials in Punjab to honour the successes of the Indian Army in the 1965 war. This was on the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war, and Modi said he had “chosen to visit locations where the brave soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces had shed blood and made the supreme sacrifice during that war”. The battles of Dograi and Barki were the key successes during the 1965 war.

Diwali 2016 (Himachal Pradesh): In 2016, Modi visited Himachal Pradesh to celebrate with soldiers near the China border. He interacted with men from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the Dogra Scouts and the Army at Sumdoh; and made an unplanned stop at a village, Chango, where he said he was “deeply touched by the impromptu reception and their joy”.

Diwali 2017 (Gurez sector, Kashmir): In 2017, the prime minister visited the Gurez sector in North Kashmir and asserted that “spending time with our forces gives me new energy”.

Diwali 2018 (Uttarakhand): In 2018, Modi spent Diwali in Uttarakhand’s Harsil where he paid a surprise visit to troops. This was followed by a visit to the iconic Kedarnath Dham.

Diwali 2019 (Rajouri, J&K): The next year, Modi met the personnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri.

Diwali 2020 (Longewala): In 2020, Modi visited the border post of Longewala in Rajasthan. Diwali is complete, he was quoted as saying in a statement, only when he is with the soldiers whether in the snow-clad mountains or in the desert.

Diwali 2021 (Nowshera, Kashmir): In 2021, Modi celebrated the festival of lights in Jammu and Kashmir’s Nowshera. “I feel privileged that I got to spend Diwali with our brave soldiers in Nowshera, not as Prime Minister but as a member of their family,” the PM had tweeted along with some photographs of the interaction.

Diwali 2022 (Kargil): Last year, Modi celebrated Diwali with soldiers in Kargil and paid tribute to the Army personnel who lost their lives in the 1999 Kargil war. Modi, addressing the soldiers, said India is against war but also underscored the need for strength to ensure peace and asserted that its growing power boosts the chances of global peace and prosperity.