Following Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of India’s drone ecosystem, senior BJP leader and national spokesperson Tuhin A Sinha visited a drone manufacturing facility on the outskirts of Delhi to assess India’s indigenous drone capabilities.
Recently, Rahul Gandhi had claimed that India lacked strong industrial base to manufacturer high-quality drones and took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he only delivered “teleprompter speeches” without understanding modern technology like the drones and AI.
“Given the strategic sensitivity of the defence and unmanned systems sector, these statements had the potential to create confusion among industry stakeholders and innovators. Hence I decided to address it directly through a visit to a drone manufacturing facility,” said Sinha.
The BJP leader toured the manufacturing unit of Parashar Futures, a micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) operating in the drone sector and interacted with the company’s founder Nagender Parashar, engineers, and assembly-line professionals to gain insights into the design, production, and testing processes.
The facility showcased a diverse portfolio of drones, including FPV/kamikaze drones used as precision munition systems, advanced surveillance drones for reconnaissance and monitoring, and logistics drones capable of transporting payloads across difficult terrain. According to company officials, production timelines and quality benchmarks are aligned with modern warfare and civilian-use requirements.
Core components such as airframes, propulsion systems, flight controllers, navigation modules, and power systems are manufactured domestically in contrast with Rahul Gandhi’s “made-in-China” claims.
However, supplementary camera-related components are currently sourced outside of the country, but efforts are underway to localise these as well.
After the visit, Sinha noted that if a relatively young MSME can attain this degree of technical sophistication, it underscores the broader strength and maturity of India’s drone manufacturing ecosystem.
He further slammed Rahul Gandhi for allegedly dismissing India’s capabilities, saying that by doing so, the Congress leader has done a disservice to domestic innovators and undermined national self-confidence.
The production process demonstrated structured systems engineering, testing protocols, and quality assurance mechanisms.
India’s drone industry is currently valued at around USD 1 billion and is projected to grow close to USD 10 billion in the coming years, driven by defence, agriculture, logistics, infrastructure monitoring, and disaster management. Government initiatives such as the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme have played a critical role in encouraging new entrants, while larger defence manufacturers are scaling advanced platforms.
The visit, Sinha stated, was aimed at grounding public discourse in facts rather than rhetoric. India’s manufacturing story—across electronics, defence, and emerging technologies—is one of measurable progress, innovation, and growing self-reliance.
The visit, the BJP leader said, was aimed at grounding public discourse in facts rather than rhetoric, claiming that India’s manufacturing story across electronics, defence, and emerging technologies is one of measurable progress, innovation, and growing self-reliance.
According to estimates, India’s drone industry is valued at around USD 1 billion and is projected to grow close to USD 10 billion in the coming years, driven by defence, agriculture, logistics, infrastructure monitoring, and disaster management.
The government has taken several initiatives such as the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to encourage defence manufacturing in the country.