GUWAHATI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said India would not hesitate to act against terrorists if they target it from outside.
Speaking at a programme in Guwahati where the veterans of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War were felicitated, he said India had been able to give the message that it would eliminate terrorism from its soil.
“Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, we are getting fantastic results on matters of internal as well as external security. We will eliminate terrorism from the country. If it is sponsored externally, we will not hesitate to cross the border to take actions,” Singh said.
On the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), he said the Army does not want its imposition. He said internal security is not the Army’s job but that of the police and central paramilitary forces.
“Some people believe the Indian Army does not want AFSPA to be removed. But I want to tell it clearly from this forum that Army does not want AFSPA’s imposition. The fact is that the tri-services want respite from matters of internal security so that they can keep performing their responsibilities of protecting the country’s border,” Singh said.
All three services want an atmosphere in Jammu and Kashmir where AFSPA can be lifted. If AFSPA is enforced somewhere, the situation is responsible for it, not the Army. The countrymen should understand this truth, the Defence Minister said.
He said AFSPA was being withdrawn from parts of the Northeast due to the return of durable peace and stability.
Talking about the strategic advantages of India from the Bangladesh war, he said the Northeast had got the highest benefit from the birth of Bangladesh.
“The kind of tension that we see on the western front, we don’t see it on the India-Bangladesh border as Bangladesh is a friendly country,” Singh said.
“We had the problem of infiltration but it is now almost over. There is peace on the Bangladesh border and this was possible due to the rapport between the Centre and the state governments. The Northeast is advancing on the road to development,” Singh claimed.
He said he was deeply touched that the war veterans had been honoured.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: “Our government has made efforts to recognise and compensate the sacrifices made by our soldiers by way of offering Rs 50 lakh as ex gratia, jobs for next of kin, 2% job reservation in government jobs and reservation of seats for their wards in medical studies.”
He added: “Today's felicitation is an endeavour to recognise the contribution of soldiers from Assam in India's victory in the war that liberated Bangladesh.”