Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reiterated that India is not afraid of nuclear threats, as he lauded the success of 'Operation Sindoor' that was carried out in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack.
He also said that terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM)'s acknowledgment of the losses during Operation Sindoor on its terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir only "exposed" Islamabad's role in sponsoring terrorism against New Delhi.
The Prime Minister was addressing a gathering in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar, where he launched a slew of projects on the occasion of his 75th birthday, when he made the remarks.
"This is new India. It is not scared of anyone. The Indian forces can enter houses to bring down enemies. New India is not afraid of nuclear threats," he said, in an apparent reference to Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir's earlier warning of a nuclear war and threat to take down "half the world" if Islamabad faced an existential threat in a future war with India.
"We obliterated terror launch pads during Operation Sindoor. The Jaish terrorists exposed Pakistan," he added.
His comments came days after a high-ranking JeM member Masood Ilyas Kashmiri said outfit chief Maulana Masood Azhar's family was "torn apart by Indian forces in Bahawalpur" during Operation Sindoor.
The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the country's first Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Park in the district. He also launched the 'Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar' and 'Rashtriya Poshan Maah' campaigns from the district.
The PM MITRA scheme seeks to establish large-scale textile manufacturing hubs at seven places in Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra with world-class infrastructure and facilities, a government statement said. The PM MITRA Park is coming up on about 2,158 acres at Bhainsola village in Dhar district. It would be equipped with world-class facilities and would abundantly benefit the cotton producers, it said.
The 'Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar' campaign will run till October 2 at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (health and wellness centres) to prioritise women's health with a focus on mental health, gender equity, adolescent anaemia management and active lifestyles, officials said.
This is PM Modi's second visit to Madhya Pradesh on his birthday after 2022.
"Crores of mothers and sisters in India have been blessing me. The country's largest integrated textile park in Dhar will provide new energy to industry and fair value to farmers' produce," he said.
PM Modi also spoke on the significance of the day. "On this day in 1948, Sardar Patel's steely willpower was seen when our army liberated Hyderabad and restored India's pride," he said, referring to the Hyderabad Liberation Day.
The day marks the anniversary of the merger of the erstwhile Hyderabad State under the Nizam's rule with the Indian Union on September 17, 1948.
