Defence Minister Rajnath Singh celebrates Holi with soldiers in Leh. Watch

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh celebrated Holi with the armed forces in Leh on Sunday and praised them for protecting the country from external threats while living through extreme weather conditions.

Singh applied tilak with "gulal" on soldiers' foreheads. He also laid a wreath at the War Memorial here to pay tributes to soldiers who laid down their lives in the line of duty.

#WATCH | Ladakh: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh celebrates #Holi with Armed Forces Personnel, at Leh Military Station. pic.twitter.com/dU4Q2Rq31c

— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2024

The defence minister was earlier supposed to celebrate Holi with soldiers in Siachen, but the visit was cancelled due to inclement weather in the region. Singh was accompanied by Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande and General Officer Commanding, Fire and Fury Corps, Lt Gen Rashim Bali.

Continuing with the tradition of celebrating Festivals with Soldiers deployed in Forward Areas, Hon'ble Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and General Manoj Pande #COAS celebrated #Holi with the Troops of @firefurycorps in Leh, #Ladakh.

Hon’ble Raksha Mantri and #COAS played… pic.twitter.com/PSi7tgAcms — ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) March 25, 2024

"Like we have the national capital in Delhi, the economic capital in Mumbai, and the technological capital in Bengaluru, Ladakh is India's capital of courage and bravery.

"When everyone wants to hide in their homes due to extreme weather conditions, you stand up to protect the country from its enemies with unwavering willpower," Singh said.

Despite being unable to visit Siachen to celebrate Holi with the soldiers, Singh spoke to them over the phone and extended Holi greetings to them.

(With inputs from PTI).