Narendra Modi attacks Pakistan, but makes no reference to China

LEH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused Pakistan of continuing its proxy war against India, saying that the neighbour doesn’t have the capacity to fight a conventional war. Addressing Army and Air Force personnel during his second visit to Jammu and Kashmir since becoming the PM in May, Modi said the Army had suffered lesser causalities in war than in proxy war.

While he launched an attack on Islamabad, Modi skipped any reference to China, which has been accused of making incursions into India’s territory in the Ladakh region several times in the recent past.

During his public meetings at Leh and Kargil, Modi restricted himself to development and progress. He said the future of Ladakh lies in three Ps: prakash (light), paryavaran (environment) and paryatan (tourism).

The PM laid the foundation stone for a Rs 1,800-crore project to build a 375-km transmission line connecting Ladakh with national grid.

Modi also stressed up on the need to tackle corruption. "This country does not lack resources, but once the corrupt people come in between, the people feel themselves distanced from the government," Modi told a cheering crowd at Kargil.

The PM, who announced Rs 8,000 crore for four road projects in J&K, formally dedicated two micro-power projects of NHPC — Nimo Basgo in Leh and Chutak in Kargil — to the nation. While many in Ladakh were expecting Modi to make an announcement on giving Union Territory status to the region, he chose not to make any promises.