Weak coalition will be bad for India: Doval

A weak coalition will be bad for India, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval said on Thursday asserting that India will need a strong, stable and decisive government for the next 10 years.

"India will need strong, stable and decisive government for the next 10 years. Let there be no doubt about it, to achieve our national, political, economic and strategic objectives. It cannot be fragmented government. It has to be decisive.

"Weak coalition will be bad for India. Democratic institutions must be strengthened. Rule of law must be adhered to with religious commitment. Countering of false and malicious propaganda should be taken on a war footing. Don't underestimate the strength of false narrative," he said delivering the annual Sardar Memorial lecture here.

He said for the country to progress, it must avoid obsolete technology and championed the government's digitisation bid as a "game changer".

Doval emphasised on strengthening the "hard" or military power of the country if it wanted to provide a safe internal system for the flourishing of the industry and safety of manpower.

"India in the overall terms of power rating stands at number 15, much behind many smaller countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel. Why? Because we have not been able to develop our hard power in the way and the direction... we have a very very professional army but we are not where we ought to be.

"And you don't require the hard power because you have a territorial ambition but because you want the power of deterrence. That is the power which provides the stability and the steel armour under which your economy, industry, your human resource can sustain. And this hard power was kept out of minds of Indians for centuries. Always preparing for yesterday's war," he said.

-- IANS

vn/vsc/bg