No dearth of fuel or gas in country: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

He said that since the NDA government came to power at the Centre, there has been zero tolerance towards terrorism.

The defence minister said that under PM Modi, national security has been strengthened and the government's attitude and mode of action has changed.

This, he said, was evident from 'Operation Sindoor-- India's response to the Pahalgam terror attack of April 2025 that claimed 26 lives.

He contended that after the Pahalgam attack, Indian forces, during operation Sindoor, brought Pakistan to its knees within 22 minutes and it was the biggest operation against terrorism yet.

"I would like to tell you the operation is not over yet. If such dirty actions are repeated by Pakistan, our armed forces will give a befitting reply which they would not forget ever. What will happen this time will be an unprecedented action," he said.

Singh further said that in the prevailing situation, "our neighbour (Pakistan) can do any misadventure".

"If it does so, then like I told you, India's action would be unprecedented and decisive," he asserted.

He said that during the Congress-led UPA governments at the Centre, terror attacks were rampant in the country with no action being taken against them.

However, the NDA government has curbed terror attacks and taken decisive action against terrorism.

"Be it the surgical strikes after the Uri terror attack, or the air strikes in response to the Pulwama bombing of Indian security personnel vehicles or the operation Sindoor in retaliation for the Pahalgam incident, we have struck a strong blow to terrorism," he said.

In his address, he also mentioned the increasing importance of the maritime domain.

He emphasised that the maritime domain was no longer confined to trade routes and naval strength, but also has a role in "national resilience, economic growth, technological innovation and strategic autonomy".

The government was taking steps to make the Indian Navy the most powerful in the world by 2047, he said.

According to him, India was fast becoming self-reliant in defence matters.

"India, which was earlier dependent on defence imports, is now moving forward in the area. In 2014, India's defence exports were worth Rs 600 crore and now it has grown to Rs 38,500 crore," he said.

Singh noted that there has been a 62.66 per cent "record jump" in India's defence exports in 2025-26 as compared to 2024-25.

"In defence production, we have already crossed the milestone of Rs 1.5 lakh crore, and our aim is to increase it to Rs 3 lakh crore by end of 2029. This will be achieved, I assure you," he said.

Besides that, India was one of the few nations in the world which has the capability to build an aircraft carrier, the minister said.

At the event, attended by several ex-servicemen, Singh said while the Congress kept promising for four decades that it would implement the one-rank-one-pension, it was the BJP which did it.

"We also paid the arrears to former soldiers," he contended.

He pointed out that the BJP government built national war memorials in various parts of the country to remind citizens of the sacrifices made by the armed forces personnel and to inspire future generations.

"The Congress never built even one war memorial," he claimed.

The BJP government is also focused on employment and rehabilitation of veterans who retire from the armed forces.

He urged everyone to choose the BJP in the assembly polls as it was the correct political party to bring changes to the state, as it came with "Modiyude guarantees" (Modi's guarantees).

"His leadership is like 24-carat gold -- it is tried and tested," he contended.

The elections to the Kerala Assembly, which has 140 seats, will be held on April 9.