NSA Doval was the brain behind PM Modi’s lightning visit to Leh

NEW DELH: On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to military camp in Leh. He touched down at Kushok Bakula Rimpochee airport at Leh to be briefed about operational preparedness of the Indian military against the aggressive Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

Accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane, Modi’s first stop was the XIV Corps headquarters at Nimu outside Leh to ; he was briefed by Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh in the presence of Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Y K Joshi.

The decision of PM Modi to go to Leh was kept a top secret till he landed at the airport. The entire plan and coordination for this was done by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Rawat and Naravane.

However, NSA Doval, who came out of self-imposed quarantine in New Delhi after two weeks, chose to stay back.

According to political observers, PM Modi's visit to the Ladakh region has not only sent a signal to China that India will not surrender even an inch of its territory but also was reassurance to the local population.

Indian Army and Chinese PLA are in confrontation at four points on the LAC in East Ladakh with the latter consolidating on ground while mouthing peace overtures.