Bhopal: Amid the ongoing tariff hike dispute with U.S. President Donald Trump, Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday, without naming any country directly, accused foreign forces of trying to obstruct India’s rapid economic rise by making its products costlier in global markets. “No power in the world can now stop India from becoming a major global force,” he declared.
Singh was speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony of Bharat Earth Movers Limited’s (BEML) Rs 1,800-crore rail coach manufacturing unit, named the BRAHMA project, in Raisen district. The facility — the first of its kind in Madhya Pradesh — will produce coaches for premium trains such as Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat, as well as metro coaches and other railway equipment. It will be built on 60.63 hectares in Umaria village of the district.
The Defence minister said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India is advancing at the fastest pace globally, earning recognition as a “dashing” and “dynamic” economy. While calling it a matter of national pride, he alleged that some foreign entities were unsettled by India’s progress and were trying to reduce the competitiveness of Indian goods abroad.
Singh highlighted a dramatic transformation in the defence sector over the past decade. “Earlier, almost all major defence equipment — from aircraft to weapons and platforms — was imported with foreign capital. Today, we not only manufacture many of these items in India with Indian hands, meeting our own needs, but also export them to other nations,” he said.
When Prime Minister Modi took office in 2014, Singh noted, India’s defence exports were valued at just Rs 600 crore. “Now, they exceed Rs 24,000 crore, and the figure is growing steadily. This is the strength of the new India,” he asserted, crediting the country’s youth for mastering advanced technologies that enable indigenous production of weapons, platforms, ammunition, and missiles.
Referring to “Operation Sindoor,” Singh recalled how terrorists in Pahalgam had brutally killed civilians after asking their religion. “They thought India would remain silent, but our Prime Minister resolved to give a befitting reply. We did not act on the basis of religion; we acted against those responsible for the deeds,” he said, invoking the Ramayana’s account of Hanuman striking only those who attacked first.
He reaffirmed India’s commitment to peace and the principle of *Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam* — the world is one family — but warned that anyone who provokes the country will face consequences.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the BEML unit would give new direction and momentum to Madhya Pradesh’s development, opening industrial opportunities not just in Raisen, Bhopal, Sehore, and Vidisha, but across the state. He described Raisen as a district where spiritual heritage and industrial progress meet, and thanked PM Modi and Singh for choosing the state for the project.
CM Yadav urged the Defence minister to approve the creation of a defence corridor in Madhya Pradesh, saying the state has ample land for it. He said the government is determined to turn the Swadeshi movement into a renewed campaign for self-reliance, with industrial growth backed by frequent development drives. He pointed out that ₹38,000 crore worth of projects have already been inaugurated or launched through divisional-level Regional Industry Conclaves.
The Chief Minister also cited the state’s rising agricultural growth rate and efforts to promote food processing units. He highlighted the launch of the country’s first river-linking project, the Rs 1-lakh-crore Ken–Betwa initiative, which will provide irrigation for farmers and water for industry and drinking purposes. Referring to Operation Sindoor, he praised the armed forces’ courage and capability under Singh’s leadership.
Union Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, also present at the event, lauded Operation Sindoor as an example of military valour under Singh’s command.
He said the BRAHMA project would bring new jobs and turn the area into a special industrial hub. Chouhan reiterated PM Modi’s assurance that farmers’ interests would never be compromised, noting that India is now the world’s fourth-largest economy.