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‘Sab ke boss to hum hain’: Rajnath Singh’s veiled jab at Donald Trump on tariffs
Rajnath Singh said that India’s defence exports have crossed ₹24,000 crore, showcasing the strength of the country’s defence sector.
Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday took a veiled jibe at US President Donald Trump over tariffs on Indian goods, saying some people are unhappy with the country’s rapid growth and believe, “sab ke boss to hum hain” (we are the boss of all).
Speaking at an event in Madhya Pradesh, Singh said that efforts were being made to make Indian-made products more expensive in global markets so they lose their competitiveness.
“There are some people who are jealous of India’s rapid development. They think, ‘we are the boss of all.’ They cannot accept how quickly India is moving ahead,” the defence minister said.
“When goods made by the hands of Indians become costlier than those produced abroad, people around the world will stop buying them,” he added.
His remarks come against the backdrop of trade tensions between New Delhi and Washington, with the US imposing higher tariffs on Indian exports.
India has termed the US decision to impose an additional 25 per cent tariff “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable” and said it will act to protect its national interest.
Rajnath Singh said India’s rapid progress is unstoppable and that no power can prevent it from becoming a major global force.
He added that in the past, the country relied on foreign suppliers for defence needs, including aircraft and weapons, but now many of these are produced domestically by Indians, meeting national requirements and being exported to other countries as well.
“With the speed at which India is progressing, I can say with full confidence that no power in the world can stop it from becoming a major global force (vishwa shakti). As far as the defence sector is concerned, earlier things were made abroad and whenever we needed them, whether it was aircraft, weapons, or anything else, we used to buy everything from other countries,” said Rajnath Singh.
"But now, many of these items are not only being made on Indian soil, not only by the hands of Indians, not only fulfilling our own requirements, but we are also exporting them to other countries,” the defence minister added.
