Bhopal: In a pointed swipe at US President Donald Trump, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday suggested that some global leaders are unable to digest India’s meteoric rise. Speaking at an event in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district, Singh hinted that jealousy was driving certain nations to impose unfair trade barriers, including steep tariffs on Indian exports.
“Some can’t accept India’s progress. They wonder, ‘We’re the boss of all, so how is India surging ahead?’ Now, attempts are being made to make Made-in-India products costlier abroad,” Singh remarked, adding with confidence, “No matter the hurdles, no power on Earth can stop us from becoming a superpower.”
The minister’s comments came in the backdrop of US tariffs exceeding 50% on India’s purchase of Russian oil measures New Delhi has dismissed as “unreasonable.”
The event marked the foundation stone-laying for Bharat Earth Movers Limited’s ₹1,800-crore ‘Bramha’ Rail Hub in Umaria village. Singh touted it as a major driver for both defence and industrial growth, promising 5,000 direct jobs and production of high-speed rail coaches alongside other advanced railway components.
Reaffirming India’s security stance, Singh addressed the recent Pahalgam attack, warning, “India wishes for global welfare, but provocation will never be tolerated. Whoever teases us we will not spare him.”
He celebrated the success of Operation Sindoor, where indigenous defence equipment played a decisive role, underscoring India’s atmanirbhar (self-reliance) push. “In 2014, our defence exports stood at ₹600 crore. Today, they’ve crossed ₹24,000 crore. Nations are buying what India builds,” he said.
Singh contrasted the present with a decade ago, when most defence needs were met through imports. “Today, we’re not just making our own aircraft and weapons we’re exporting them,” he asserted, crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India drive for the turnaround.
Highlighting Madhya Pradesh’s potential, Singh praised Chief Minister Mohan Yadav for securing ₹30 lakh crore in investment commitments and building an 18,000-hectare industrial land bank. “With its resources, infrastructure, and leadership, MP is poised to become a defence hub,” he said, dubbing the state “Modern Pradesh.”
He concluded with a call for balanced development, lauding MP’s natural beauty while hailing the rail hub as “a symbol of modern progress.”