New Delhi, November 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will celebrate Diwali with soldiers deployed in border areas, according to reports. India's Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat is expected to join PM Narendra Modi in celebrating Diwali with security forces. The Prime Minister may choose Ladakh for celebrating the festival and to boose morale of jawans amid tensions with China.

If it happens, this will be the seventh time that PM Modi will celebrate Diwali with security personnel. Last year, PM Modi visited Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district to celebrate Diwali with Army troops guarding the Line of Control (LoC). He visited Army Brigade Headquarters, interacted with the troops and distributed sweets to soldiers. also visited the Pathankot Air Force station.

This was PM Modi's third visit to Jammu and Kashmir to celebrate Diwali with the troops in the border state since 2014, and first after the abrogation of Article 370 provisions. In 2018, PM Modi had visited Harshil district near the India-China border in Uttarakhand to celebrate Diwali with jawans of the Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

In 2014, PM Modi celebrated Diwali with Army troops in Siachen. In 2015, he celebrated the festival with BSF soldiers at the LoC near the India-Pakistan border in Punjab, while in 2016, he spent it with ITBP troops in Himachal Pradesh. In 2017, Prime Minister rejoiced Diwali with jawans posted along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Gurez.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 13, 2020 03:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).