Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said India is ready to cross the Line of Control (LoC) to maintain its honour and dignity, and called upon civilians to be ready to support the soldiers in such a situation.

Citing the example of the Russia-Ukraine war, he said the war has been going on for more than a year because civilians have stepped up and are participating in the war.

Singh was speaking at the Kargil War Memorial here on the occasion of the 24th Kargil Vijay Diwas. Earlier, he laid a wreath at the memorial to pay tributes to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the 1999 Kargil war.

"We can go to any extreme to maintain the honour and dignity of the country... if that includes crossing the LoC, we are ready to do that... if we are instigated and if the need arises, we will cross the LoC," he said.

"Whenever there has been a war situation, our public has always supported the forces but that support has been indirect. I urge the public to be ready and mentally prepared to support the soldiers directly on the battlefield if the need arises," he added.

Singh said the Kargil war was imposed on India, which was "backstabbed" by Pakistan.