Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today assured the nation that the armed forces are fully equipped to give a befitting reply to anyone who casts an evil eye on India.

Addressing an event at Jhajjar in Haryana, he asserted that safeguarding national interests is the main focus of the Modi government and the military is being armed with state-of-the-art and indigenously-developed weapons/equipment to protect the country from future challenges.

“India is no longer weak. We believe in peace, but if anyone tries to harm us, we will give a befitting reply. Our soldiers have proved this time and again. 2016 surgical strikes, 2019 Balakot airstrikes and the bravery shown by our soldiers during the Galwan Valley incident are proof of our prowess and preparedness,” said the defence minister.

He commended the Prime Minister for transforming India’s global image to an assertor from a mere listener, stating that the world now keenly listens to New Delhi.

Highlighting that India is now among the top five economies of the world due to the government’s efforts, he hoped the country will find itself in the top three in the times to come.

Rajnath also stressed that the government has taken inspiration from revolutionaries such as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Emperor Prithviraj Chauhan and Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji and is working to realise the aspirations of India while safeguarding its cultural heritage. He touched upon the ‘Panch Pran of Amrit Kaal’, the resolve of a ‘New India’, envisioned by the PM during his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort this year.

He said that to get rid of the colonial mindset, the government has taken a number of initiatives including the renaming of Rajpath as Kartavya Path; installing of a grand statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate premises; a new Indian Navy ensign-inspired from Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji and abolition of around 1,500 obsolete British-era laws.

Rajnath rejected the views in certain quarters on the presence of the lotus flower in the logo of India’s G-20 presidency in 2023, which was launched by the PM recently. He said the lotus is the national flower, connected with India’s cultural identity.

The event witnessed the unveiling of the statue of warrior king Prithviraj Chauhan by the defence minister in Jhajjar.