Shinde faction MLA asks supporters to 'break legs' of anyone who provokes
Mumbai, Aug 16: In remarks apparently directed at the loyalists of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, a rebel MLA from Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's faction has asked his supporters to beat up anyone who provokes them.
In a video that went viral on social media on Monday, MLA Prakash Surve was also seen assuring his supporters that he will arrange quick bail for them if they landed in jail.
Reacting to the video, Yuva Sena (Sena youth wing) chief Aaditya Thackeray wondered if this hooliganism and arrogance came from the newly-acquired power.
In the video, Surve, MLA from Magathane in northwest Mumbai, was purportedly heard saying, "We will not let down our guard. We have to put them in their place and not tolerate anyone bullying us...If anyone says anything then beat him up, Prakash Surve is sitting here...pulp them.
"If you cannot break their hands, break their legs. I will ensure you get bail the next day. We will not attack anyone to start with, but will not spare anyone who needles us," Surve purportedly said.
When contacted, he refused to comment on the video.
Aaditya Thackeray took to Twitter to ask what was the Shinde faction trying to convey "by threatening the public".
"Is (this) the arrogance of power or frustration of not getting any good deal," Thackeray tweeted.
Surve is one of the 39 Shiv Sena MLAs who are supporting Chief Minister Shinde who led a revolt against the party leadership in June this year resulting in the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.
Meanwhile, workers of the Thackeray faction filed a complaint with Dahisar police in Mumbai, seeking action against Surve.
"We have received a written complaint from Shiv Sena workers against Prakash Surve. They have demanded action against Surve, but we are verifying the facts and investigation is on. No FIR has been registered yet," said a police official.
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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.
