'World respects strength, not weakness...': Rajnath Singh on India's Operation Sindoor against Pakistan
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday reiterated India's tough stance on cross-border terrorism and said that the world respects those with strength, not weakness."Fear has no place, only strength and respect sustain. The world respects strength, not weakness. Today, India is one of the world's most powerful nations," Singh said, invoking India's military resolve and technological prowess amid rising tensions with Pakistan.Speaking on the Indian Army's recent military offensive—Operation Sindoor—launched in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Singh linked India's growing global stature to its unflinching posture against cross-border terrorism.'Terrorists wiped the sindoor off the foreheads of many Indian daughters. With Operation Sindoor , India has avenged the massacre of their husbands,' he said.Reaffirming India's hardened approach, the Defence Minister reiterated, 'We walk on zero tolerance principle against terrorism.'Singh's remarks came during the virtual inauguration of the BrahMos Aerospace Integration and Testing Facility in Lucknow, a project he praised as a milestone in India's defence self-reliance. 'BrahMos is one of the world's fastest supersonic missiles; it isn't just a weapon but a message of India's deterrence,' he said.Built at a cost of ₹300 crore, the facility will manufacture, test, and integrate the BrahMos missile system—a joint India-Russia project—with a range of 290 to 400 km and a top speed of Mach 2.8. The missile can be launched from land, sea, or air and follows a 'fire and forget' targeting mechanism.Singh credited Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his vision in enabling the facility, which is part of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor. 'This facility was made possible due to CM Yogi's vision,' he said.Acknowledging the rapid execution of the project, Singh added, 'You completed this project in record 40 months, that's a significant achievement.'The inauguration coincided with National Technology Day, marking the anniversary of India's nuclear tests at Pokhran in 1998. Reflecting on the moment, Singh said, 'It is National Technology Day today. On this day in 1998, under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, our scientists held nuclear test in Pokhran and showed India's strength to the world. That test was the result of immense efforts of our scientists, engineers, defence personnel and several other stakeholders.'While Singh joined the inauguration virtually from Delhi, he emphasised the importance of the occasion: 'I am happy. I wish I would have been present physically, but you know the reason, it was required for me to be in Delhi. Our communication will not break in any situation. It is a historic day... I had seen a dream of Lucknow contributing to defence sector, it is getting fulfilled.'
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