Modi marks Diwali with naval visit, Trump call and swadeshi push

Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked Diwali on Monday with public greetings, a personal meeting with President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, a naval celebration aboard INS Vikrant and a phone call with US President Donald Trump, while urging Indians to buy domestic products and invoking a recent counterterror operation in messages to the nation.

Modi posted on X early Monday, "Greetings on the occasion of Diwali. May this festival of lights illuminate our lives with harmony, happiness and prosperity. May the spirit of positivity prevail all around us." He also called on citizens to support locally made goods, writing earlier that people should "buy Indian products and say Garv Se Kaho Yeh Swadeshi Hai!" and to share purchases on social media to inspire others. The prime minister met President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and presented her with Diwali greetings, the president's office said.

In a letter to citizens released for the festival, Modi highlighted development in areas once affected by insurgency and referred to Operation Sindoor, an antiterror operation conducted in May. He wrote that India "not only upheld righteousness but also avenged injustice" during the...