Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (Nov 7) extended Diwali greetings to the people of the country, and wished happiness, peace and prosperity. In a video message, he said that he would continue his tradition of celebrating the festival with jawans. On X, he wrote, “Have a great Diwali!” The prime minister also said that the entire country is illuminated with lights on the occasion of Diwali and described the festival as a symbol of the country's resolve against darkness. “May this festival and the time ahead bring happiness, peace and prosperity into your lives. As you know, it is my annual tradition to spend the festival with the brave soldiers of our country, and I will continue that tradition this year as well,” he wrote in the X.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister met Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan and exchanged Diwali greetings. PM Modi had earlier extended his wishes to people on Dhanteras, which marks the beginning of the five-day Diwali festivities. The five-day Diwali celebrations began with Dhanteras on November 6, followed by Choti Diwali on November 7.
Since assuming office in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has maintained the tradition of celebrating Diwali with India's armed forces at different locations across the country. He celebrated his first Diwali as Prime Minister with troops at the Siachen Glacier in 2014, followed by visits to Dograi War Memorial in Amritsar in 2015, Sumdo in Himachal Pradesh in 2016 and Gurez Valley in Kashmir in 2017. In 2018, he celebrated with Army and ITBP personnel at Harsil in Uttarakhand, followed by Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 and Longewala in Rajasthan in 2020. He visited Nowshera in 2021, Kargil in 2022, Lepcha in Himachal Pradesh in 2023 and Lakki Nala in Gujarat's Sir Creek region in 2024. In 2025, he marked Diwali at sea for the first time, celebrating with naval personnel aboard India's indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
