CM Bommai congratulates UK PM- elect Rishi Sunak
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and corporate honchos congratulated Rishi Sunak, who is set to become Britain's first prime minister of Indian origin.
Bommai told reporters in Shiggaon in Haveri district late on Sunday that the British ruled India for over 200 years and they would have never expected such a big development.
Today, Indians have got elected as MPs in several countries. Now, Rishi Sunak has got elected as the new Britain PM. The wheel of fortune has turned completely, he opined.
Sunak, 42, on Sunday won the race to lead the Conservative Party and is set to become Britain's prime minister.
Union Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi said, "I feel it is a proud moment because Rishi Sunak hails from India. I wish him every success."
Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is an MP from Karnataka, congratulated Sunak on becoming the Prime Minister but said he is taking over the responsibility at a time when the whole of Europe is going through a difficult time.
"I have met him (Sunak) personally. He is a highly competent person," Chandrasekhar said.
Meanwhile in a series of tweets, former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy too congratulated Sunak.
"Hearty congratulations to Sri @RishiSunak, senior Conservative party leader & Britain's Prime Minister elect. He is connected to our Karnataka. I am overwhelmed with the election of Sri Rishi Sunak, son-in-law of Infosys founder Sri N R Narayanamurthy & Smt Sudha Murty," Kumaraswamy tweeted.
"I am confident that Sri Rishi Sunak will effectively lead Britain & help to bring its economy back on track," he added.
With Sunak "the son-in-law of Bengaluru" set to become the British Prime Minister, people in the city termed it a historic moment and a sign of a mature democracy.
Sunak is married to Akshatha Murthy, daughter of Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty.
People from the corporate world expressed their happiness over the development.
Kamal Bali, president and managing director of the Volvo Group India said it is a matter of joy that a person of Indian origin is becoming the Prime Minister in the UK.
"Rishi Sunak's rise shows that anybody has an opportunity in a democratic set-up. It is a good sign, which also shows that capability matters in a democratic country," Bali told PTI.
Former Infosys Chief Finance Officer V Balakrishnan called it a historic moment.
"It is a historic moment. Britain shows to the world that a migrant can also become Prime Minister of their country. It is a sign of a mature democracy, Balakrishnan said.
He also said it is good that a person of Indian origin is becoming Prime Minister there.
Former Infosys director and Padma Sri awardee T V Mohandas Pai said it is a matter of joy that a young person at 42 is becoming the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Former president of the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jacob Crasta said it is a matter of great pride for Indians as a person of Indian origin is becoming the Prime Minister of the country which had ruled India for 200 years.
"It is a pride for us Bengalurians as the son-in-law of Bengaluru is becoming the Prime Minister of the UK," Crasta told PTI.
He further said the development is good for India because it will pave way for UK technology to come to the country.
Crasta, who is a chairman of CM Envirosystems, was also optimistic that Sunak's rise will help India and the UK sign the Free Trade Agreement, which will pave way for great economic ties between the two nations.
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
