India capable of hitting targets within and across border: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership has shown to the world that it has the power to hit its targets within and across the border in the aftermath of Uri and Pulwama terror attacks.

The terrorists attacked an army camp in the border town of Uri in September 2016, resulting in the killing of 19 soldiers. A fortnight later, the Indian Army carried out a surgical strike across the border and destroyed launch pads for terrorists.

In February 2019, over 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a suicide attack on their convoy by the terrorists in Pulwama district of south Kashmir. Twelve days after the attack, the Indian Air Force (AIF) destroyed the terrorist camp in Balakote, Pakistan.

Addressing an election rally in support of BJP candidate Jitendra Singh here, he said, Earlier India was considered as a soft stateIndia has neither attacked any country nor occupied any foreign land which is its character."

"But when Uri and Pulwama happened, India gave a strong message that we will not touch anyone but if touched by someone we will not leave them, he added.

Singh, Union Minister of state in the Prime Minister's office, is seeking his re-election for the third term from Udhampur parliamentary constituency which is going to polls in the first phase on April 19.

We have the capability and power to hit (our targets) anywhere within and across our borders. The power of India increased in the world (after the surgical strikes), he said, giving credit to Prime Minister Modi's leadership.

Referring to the safe evacuation of over 22,500 Indian students in the midst of war between Ukraine and Russia in early 2022, he said the fighting between the two countries stopped for over four hours after Modi established contact with the presidents of the two countries and the US.

The concerned parents of these students started demanding for the return of their wards from the war-torn country and the government facilitated their safe return (to their homes), he said.

The senior BJP leader said there is hardly any person in the country who had not benefitted from the government schemes over the last 10 years.

The corona vaccination was ensured to all citizens without any charge and it was possible only because of the strong leadership, he said.

Later briefly talking to reporters, the defence minister exuded confidence in winning all the Lok Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir.

He declined a direct answer on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate and said the case is sub-judice.