“When it is an unprovoked attack the Army was given the right to retaliate. We honour the ceasefire but of course, a margin was given to us when there is an unprovoked attack.”
New Delhi: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday defended the NDA government saying that Congress’ allegation of scam in the Indo-France Rafael deal is baseless.
Interacting with the media during the ebook launch highlighting the achievements of Ministry of Defence in last four years, Sitharaman gave an assurance that “There is no shortage of Defence ammunition today.”
” There is no shortage of Defence ammunition today. Allegations of scam in the Rafael deal are baseless.”
– Smt @nsitharaman in New Delhi#IndiaStandsStrong pic.twitter.com/6tqouPRew1ā Raksha Mantri (@DefenceMinIndia) June 5, 2018
Speaking about the recent Ceasefire violations at the LOC, Nirmala Sitharaman said “When it is an unprovoked attack the Army was given the right to retaliate. We honour the ceasefire but of course, a margin was given to us when there is an unprovoked attack.”
“It’s our business to guard the border & we won’t stop if we’re provoked. We shall be alert that no unprovoked attack goes without us responding. It’s our duty to keep India safe.” she added. She further made it clear that “MoD’s role isn’t to asses whether it was successful or not. It’s our business to guard the border & we won’t stop if we’re provoked. We shall be alert that no unprovoked attack goes without us responding. It’s our duty to keep India safe.”
“It’s our business to guard the border & we won’t stop if we’re provoked. We shall be alert that no unprovoked attack goes without us responding. It’s our duty to keep India safe.”
– Smt @nsitharaman pic.twitter.com/HCEb1oBgV8ā Raksha Mantri (@DefenceMinIndia) June 5, 2018
She further alleged that ” The Armed Forces faced funds shortage under the UPA government. However, there are no shortages of funds now.”
Referring to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj statement about talks with Pakistan, Sitharaman said: “Honourable External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has made a clear statement that talks and terrorism cannot go hand-in-hand.”
Clearing the confusion about the recent controversy over allowing civilian traffic on the Cantonment board roads, Sitharaman said “The MOD order is for cantonments where civilians and Armed Forces live together. It doesn’t apply to military stations.”
“After all meetings, it was found that 850 roads were under closure in 62 cantonments. Out of 850, 119 roads were closed without following due procedure. Among those 119 only 80 roads have been opened” she clarified.
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