Shobha Karandlaje leads 'Walk for Nation' march in Bengaluru in support of Indian armed forces (Ld)

Bengaluru, May 11 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour and Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, led the 'Walk for Nation' march in Bengaluru on Sunday in support of the Indian armed forces and soldiers.

The march witnessed a massive turnout and was held from Vidyaranyapura Playgrounds to the Ganesh temple in Sahakarnagar in Bengaluru.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, retired Wing Commander V. K. Singh, and other prominent BJP leaders participated in the event.

Participants waved the Indian National Flag and raised slogans in support of the armed forces.

"Since 1971, India has been under the shadow of war. Most of us here did not witness that war. But every time our soldiers fall to enemy shelling and bullets, we grieve. After 1971, came the Kargil war, followed by incidents in Uri, Pulwama, and more recently Pahalgam terror attack. On all these occasions, we have lost both civilians and brave soldiers," Shobha Karandlaje said.

"Our nation has never initiated war against any country. Pakistan, however, has repeatedly proven that it cannot be trusted. This was once again evident when it violated the ceasefire within just three hours of its declaration on Saturday. The attack in Pahalgam was a deliberate act of religious targeting. In response, Indian armed forces struck back, destroying nine terrorist camps without harming civilians," she added.

"We must support our soldiers who guard the borders under extreme weather conditions, with the faith that society will stand by their families if anything happens to them. We need to show our solidarity. Across the country, people are organising such marches to boost the morale of our armed forces," she said.

Minister Shobha also stated, "Pakistan has consistently violated agreements. It exports terrorism globally and sends its poor citizens to the Middle East. The world recognises Pakistan as a hub of terrorism, and while our armed forces are confronting this menace, we must stand by them."

Leader of the Opposition, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, said, "India is not inclined to wage war. However, in Pahalgam, terrorists killed tourists after identifying them by their religion. It became necessary to teach the neighbouring country a lesson, and in response, terrorist hideouts were destroyed-leading to the current war-like situation."

"Despite the intervention of US President Donald Trump, which led to a ceasefire, violations continue. Our soldiers are giving a befitting reply. We have organised this march to show our support. Pakistan is not a nation but a terrorist hub. It listens to no one. That country must be taught a lesson, and our armed forces are doing exactly that," he stated.

--IANS

mka/svn