Addressing FICCI's 93rd Annual General Meeting on Monday, 14 December, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke about the standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh and said that “unprovoked aggression” is a reminder of how world is changing.
“Unprovoked aggression on our Himalayan frontiers is a reminder of how world is changing, how existing agreements are being challenged, how power is being asserted not just in Himalayas but across Indo-Pacific,” Singh said, according to ANI.
Hailing the country’s defence forces, the minister added that India’s coming generations will be proud of what its forces have managed to achieve this year.
“Whenever there is a situation at the LAC, the most obvious outcome is a comparison between India and China’s military strength,” he reportedly said.
“There is big build-up of armed forces at the LAC in Ladakh. In these testing times, our forces have shown exemplary courage and remarkable fortitude. They fought the PLA with utmost bravery and forced them to go back,” he added, according to Hindustan Times.
Speaking about Pakistan, Singh said, “We have been victims of cross-border terrorism, yet have fought the scourge alone even when there was no one to support us but later, they understood we were right about Pakistan being the fountainhead of terrorism.”
Reforms Taken Keeping Farmers’ Interests in Mind: Rajnath
On the topic of farmers, Singh said, “Agriculture has been one sector which has been able to avoid the adverse effects of the pandemic and, in fact, come out the best. Our produce and procurement have been plentiful and our warehouses are full.”
He also said that there was no question of taking retrograde steps against India’s agricultural sector, stating, “The recent reforms have been undertaken with the best interests of India’s farmers in mind.”
“We are, however, always willing to listen to our farmer brothers, allay their misgivings and provide them with assurances we can provide. Our government is always open to discussion and dialogue.”Rajnath Singh
Meanwhile, speaking at the same event, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that India was aiming to surpass China in the arena of mobile manufacturing.
“We have to surpass China. That's my goal and I'm very clear in defining it. Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) is designed to propel India's ease of doing business to make it an alternative manufacturing location,” the Telecom and IT Minister said on Monday, according to ANI.
(With inputs from ANI and Hindustan Times.)
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