India won’t compromise on national pride: Singh

I want to assure that we will not compromise with national pride. India is no longer a weak India. Our strength in national security has risen. But this strength is not meant to frighten anyone but to secure our country.

JAMMU: Amid a stand-off with China along the Line of Actual Control, defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that India will never compromise on its “national pride” and asserted that it is no longer a “weak” country, adding that its security capabilities have been strengthened.

Speaking at a virtual rally for Jammu and Kashmir, Singh assured the opposition that the central government will not keep Parliament or anyone in the dark about developments on the border and will share details at an appropriate time.

“I want to assure that we will not compromise with national pride under any circumstance. India is no longer a weak India. Our strength in national security has risen. But this strength is not meant to frighten anyone

RAJNATH SINGH, Union defence minister

but to secure our country,” Singh said.

The senior BJP leader said China has expressed its wish to resolve the dispute with India through talks, and the Indian government also has a similar view.

“This is also our effort to defuse the tussle between India and China through military and diplomatic level talks,” he said, noting that the two countries are engaged in military-level dialogue.

The defence minister said that India was strengthening its forces to secure the country and not to scare anyone.

In this contest he also referred to the US President’s invite to India at the G7 summit to substantiate his claims of India’s growing popularity and power at the international forum.

“Our India is in secure hands. The BJP government appointed the chief of defence staff without wasting any time. The issue of