Except dialogues and wearing turban, PM Modi delivered nothing in I-Day speech: KCR
Vikarabad (Telangana) (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Tuesday came down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the latter said nothing worthwhile during his Independence Day speech except delivering "dialogues" and displaying a long turban around his head.
Speaking at a public meeting here, Rao, popularly known as KCR, slammed the Prime Minister for his remarks on freebies saying that no state in the country is implementing welfare measures that are done in Telangana.
"Yesterday I also was listening to the PM's speech. Anyway, they did nothing for eight years, I thought they would do something for the remaining two years. There was nothing in the whole one-hour speech, except dialogues and a scarf around his head, dress up, there was nothing. No new scheme was announced. Not even a single word about the welfare of the country," the Telangana Chief Minister charged.
In line with the "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav" celebrations, Modi on Monday wore a white "safa" with tricolour stripes and a long trail for his 76th Independence Day look.
Attacking Modi, Rao alleged that the Centre is forcing the states to fix meters for pumpsets and also import coal even when the commodity is available at a cheaper price in India.
Referring to some BJP activists who tried to protest when the CM's convoy was passing, he said people of Vikarabad should pose questions to these saffron party workers as to what Modi did during the past eight years of rule.
"I am asking the Prime Minister what you have done in the past eight years. Farmers? Women? Tribals? Muslims and Dalits? Which section as benefitted? None. On top of that, when the state governments within their limits are implementing some welfare measures, they are called freebies and should be discontinued," Rao charged.
He claimed that some of the neighbouring villages of Karnataka wanted to merge with Telangana being attracted by the welfare measures being implemented and developmental work here.
He said Telangana suffered a lot for 58 years when it was part of united Andhra Pradesh.
According to him, though Telangana is growing, it is also equally important that the centre's growth should also match with that of the state. Otherwise the overall development will be impacted.
"Even if the state is progressing, if the Centre is not progressing the required growth will not come. So, a government which respects the states should come (to power) at the Centre. Unemployment is growing, the rupee is depreciating. We will have to send this government at the centre home and bring our own government," he opined.
Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated a new District Collectorate complex and laid the foundation for a medical college here.
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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.
