India far ahead of China in leading world with ideas: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh yesterday said that India is far ahead of China when it comes to leading the world with ideas.

He said, there can be a serious debate on who owns more military might but when it comes to soft power there is no scope of ambiguity.

Mr Singh was addressing the Valedictory Session of FICCI Annual Conclave virtually.

The Defence Minister said, Indian armed forces stood up to aggression along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and fought the China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with utmost bravery, forcing it to go back.

He asserted that the coming generations of this nation will be proud of what our forces have managed to achieve this year.

Mr Singh said that whenever there is a situation at the LAC, the most obvious outcome is a comparison between India and China’s military strength.

The Defence Minister said, the unprovoked aggression on our Himalayan frontiers is a reminder of how the world is changing, how existing agreements are being challenged,



how power is being asserted not just in the Himalayas but across the Indo-Pacific.

Mr Singh said, India has been a victim of cross-border terrorism, yet it fought the scourge alone even when there was no one to support it but later, they understood we were right about Pakistan being the fountainhead of terrorism.

He said that the government has taken various steps to effectively deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. He said, financial assistances and food security have been provided to the needy people during the Covid-19 crisis.

Mr. Singh said, Atmanirbhar bharat package which is worth 20 lakh crore rupees have provided relief to the poor, workers and small industries and helped in mitigating the effects of Covid-19.

He said, Atmanirbhar Bhart Abhiyan is a watershed moment in India under which several historic policy decisions have been taken.

Allaying the fear of farmers, the Minister said, there is no question of taking retrograde steps against the agriculture sector.