At the launch of BEML’s ₹1,800 crore rail coach unit in MP, Rajnath Singh said India’s rapid growth will make it a major global power.
He criticised US tariffs, alleging some nations want to hinder India’s rise by making its goods uncompetitive.
Singh touted defence export growth, vowed strong action against terrorism, and said the project will create 5,000 jobs.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described India's economy as the world's most "dashing and dynamic" and said some people who have the attitude of "we are everyone's boss" do not like it.
These comments come after the high tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump on goods imported from India after calling India a “dead” economy.
According to PTI, Singh said that the speed with which India is moving ahead means that no power in the world can stop it from becoming a major global power, in his address after performing the bhoomi pujan of a rail coach manufacturing unit of the Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) in Madhya Pradesh's Raisen district.
He said, “Today, if any country has a dashing and dynamic economy, it is India's economy.”'
The defence minister, without naming anyone, said some people do not like the rapid development of India and are unable to digest it.
He added, "They think that we are everyone's boss, and how is India moving forward so fast? Many people are trying to do something, so that when things made by the hands of Indians in India go to countries of the world, they become more expensive than the things made in those countries, and they become so expensive that the people of the world do not buy them.”
In terms of the economy, India ranked eleventh in 2014. According to Singh, India is currently ranked among the top four nations in the world in terms of its GDP.
"If any country has a rapidly growing economy, it is our India. It means that the country is moving forward and its people are also moving ahead, because if the countrymen do not move forward, India cannot move forward," he said.
According to PTI, Singh claimed that in the past, India used to purchase defence-related goods manufactured by foreigners around the world.
"But today, many of these things are not only being made on the Indian soil, not only by the hands of Indians, and we are not only fulfilling our needs, but we are also exporting to other countries of the world. Countries of the world are buying our goods," he said.
Singh also brought up the April terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives. He stated India responded appropriately to Pakistan, citing the Indian military's Operation Sindoor.
"People were killed (by terrorists) after being asked to identify their religion. We cannot kill people after asking about their religion. We do not believe in murder. We do not even kill ants. We have resolved that we will kill people (terrorists) not by looking at their religion, but by looking at their deeds," he said.
Singh said that India's clear stand is that "we will not spare anyone who instigates us." Referring to the rail coach unit, the minister said it is a big gift for the Raisen and Vidisha region in MP and will provide employment to 5,000 persons.
He pointed out that Madhya Pradesh is making quick progress in its sectors after receiving an investment proposal of over Rs 30 lakh crore.
"If the leadership is excellent, development happens rapidly. I think that after a few years, people will start calling Madhya Pradesh a modern state," Singh said. When this unit is ready, the surrounding area will also develop rapidly, he added.
PTI reported, at Umaria village in Raisen district, Singh previously performed the bhoomi pujan of BEML's rail coach unit, which is expected to be constructed for Rs 1,800 crore.
According to officials, the project, which has been called BRAHMA (BEML Rail Hub for Manufacturing), will have an initial manufacturing capacity of 125 to 200 coaches annually, to increase that capacity to 1,100 coaches annually in five years.
At the Dussehra Ground in Obedullaganj, close to Umaria, MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and other dignitaries attended the Bhoomi Pujan event. During the show, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's video message was aired.
