Diwali 2018: Will celebrate with Indian soldiers, PM Modi tells Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he would celebrate Diwali on Wednesday with Army jawans and share pictures of his experience.  Responding to Diwali greetings from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Modi said, "Every year, I visit our border areas and surprise our troops. This year too, will spend Diwali with our brave troops. Spending time with them is special."

 He said he would share the photos of the same Wednesday evening. Modi also thanked Bibi, as Netanyahu is called, for the Diwali wishes. Sources in the government had Monday said the prime minister would offer prayers at the Kedarnath shrine Wednesday. 

Bibi, my friend, thank you so much for the Diwali wishes.

Every year, I visit our border areas and surprise our troops. This year too, will spend Diwali with our brave troops. Spending time with them is special.

I will share photos of the same tomorrow evening. :) @netanyahu https://t.co/gnouOA3QGt

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 6, 2018

 "On behalf of the people of Israel, I would like to wish my dear friend @narendramodi and the people of India a joyous Diwali. May this luminous festival of lights bring you happiness and prosperity. Reply to this tweet with the name of the city where you're celebrating!," the Israel premier had tweeted. 

After becoming the prime minister in 2014, Modi had spent Diwali at Siachen with Army jawans. In 2015, he had visited the Punjab border on Diwali. His visit had coincided with 50 years of the 1965 Indo-Pak war. 

The next year, Modi was in Himachal Pradesh, where he spent time with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel at a border outpost. He had spent his fourth Diwali as prime minister with soldiers at Gurez in Jammu and Kashmir last year.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will also celebrate Diwali with the Indian Army troops deployed at forward posts in Arunachal Pradesh remote valley, officials said on Tuesday. She will be accompanied by Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane and other senior officials of the Army.

On Wednesday, Diwali Day, Sitharaman will fly over the Dibang Valley and visit Anini and Andrala Omkar forward posts in the district and meet the troops there, Kohima-based Defence spokesman Col Chiranjit Konwer told reporters.