India will not tolerate nuclear threats or fall for blackmail: PM Modi on Independence Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reiterated that India will not tolerate nuclear threats or fall for any blackmail from Pakistan.

Speaking at the Red Fort on Independence Day, Modi said that Pakistan had “lost its sleep” after India launched Operation Sindoor.

“I salute our brave soldiers who punished masters of terror beyond their imagination,” he said about the military operation. “After April 22 [Pahalgam attack], we gave armed forces free hand to respond to terrorists.”

He reiterated that New Delhi had set a “new normal” of not differentiating between terrorists and those who nurture terrorism.

Tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad escalated on May 7 when the Indian military carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The strikes were in response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 persons on April 22.

The Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. At least 22 Indian civilians and eight defence personnel were killed in the shelling.

India and Pakistan on May 10 reached an “understanding” to halt firing following the four-day conflict.

On Friday, the prime minister also said that “blood and water cannot flow together”, referring to the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan.

“The people have come to realise that the Indus Waters Treaty is unjust,” he said. “Water from the Indus River system has been irrigating the lands of the enemy, while our farmers have suffered.”

Modi added: “What kind of agreement is this that has caused such immense loss to our farmers for the past seven decades?”

India had placed the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance a day after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam. India said that the treaty would be suspended until Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably” stopped its support for cross-border terrorism.

The two countries had signed the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960 with the World Bank as an additional signatory. The pact sought to divide the water of the Indus river and its tributaries equitably among the two countries.

Under the treaty, water from three eastern rivers, Beas, Ravi and Sutlej, was allocated to India and that from the three western rivers – Indus, Chenab and Jhelum – to Pakistan.

The treaty also allowed both countries to use the other’s rivers for certain purposes, such as small hydroelectric projects that require little or no water storage.

‘Self-reliance not limited to trade’

The prime minister also said that Operation Sindoor would not have been “such a success” if India was not self-reliant. “Self-reliance is not limited to trade,” he said. “It is about our own capability. If we weren’t self-reliant, would Operation Sindoor have been such a success?”

Modi said that dependence on others raised questions about the independence of a nation.

“It is unfortunate when dependence becomes a habit, a dangerous one,” he said. “That’s why we must remain aware and committed to becoming self-reliant. Self-reliance is not just about exports, imports, the rupee, or the dollar. It is about our capabilities, our strength to stand on our own.”

His remarks come came amid diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Washington after the Donald Trump administration doubled the tariffs on goods imported from India to 50% earlier this month for purchasing Russian oil.

The doubling of the levies came a week after Trump announced a 25% levy on Indian goods as part of the so-called reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries that have not finalised separate trade agreements with the United States.

In his speech on Friday, the prime minister said that the first made-in-India semiconductor chip would be launched in the market by the end of this year. Six semiconductor units were already on the ground and four new units had been approved, he added.

He said that the country was also working towards becoming self-reliant in the space sector. “The nation is proud of our space sector,” said Modi. “Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is back from the [International Space Station] space station.”

Shukla became the second Indian to go to space as the Axiom 4 spaceflight lifted off from Florida, US on June 25. Axiom 4 is a private spaceflight to the International Space Station. He was the first Indian to live and work on the International Space Station.

The mission was operated by US-based space infrastructure firm Axiom Space. The astronaut module was launched on board a SpaceX rocket, in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA.

The Indian Space Research Organisation reportedly paid Rs 500 crore to secure an Axiom 4 seat and training.

‘GST reforms by Diwali’

Modi on Friday announced that the next generation of reforms in the Goods and Services Tax would be unveiled by Diwali, which would provide “substantial” relief and benefit small and medium enterprises.

The time had come to undertake reforms in GST as the indirect tax regime had completed eight years, he said.

“Tax on items of common man will be reduced substantially,” said Modi, adding that daily-use items would become cheaper.

The prime minister also announced that Rs 15,000 would be given to youth entering the private sector job market for the first time under the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana.

Speaking about critical minerals, Modi said that the entire world today was highly concerned about the resource and had begun to understand its importance.

“For us, too, self-reliance in critical minerals is essential,” he said. “That is why we have launched the National Critical Mission. Exploration is underway at more than 1,200 locations, and we are moving forward towards self-reliance in critical minerals as well.”

Modi said that “daam kam, par dum zyaada [lower cost, higher values]” should be the country’s mantra.

‘Demography mission’

The prime minister on Friday also announced the formation of a “high-powered demography mission” to deal with “infiltrators” who were snatching away the livelihood of the youth in the country.

“These infiltrators mislead innocent tribals and capture their land,” he claimed. “This will not be tolerated.”

Modi added that such “illegals” would be dealt with in a planned and determined manner within a fixed timeframe.

“When demographic change takes place – especially in border regions – it creates a threat to national security,” the prime minister claimed. “No country can hand itself over to infiltrators. No country in the world does this, so how can we allow it for India?”

His remarks come amid the Trinamool Congress repeatedly raising concerns about several Bengali-speaking migrant workers being detained in parts of the country on the suspicion of being Bangladeshis.

Since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the police in several states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party have been detaining Bengali-speaking persons – mostly Muslims – and asking them to prove that they are Indian citizens.

Several persons have been forced into Bangladesh after they allegedly could not prove their Indian citizenship. In some cases, persons who were mistakenly sent to Bangladesh returned to the country after state authorities in India proved that they were Indians.

In his speech, the prime minister also claimed that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was the biggest non-governmental organisation in the world. “It has a history of 100 years of dedication,” he said.

The RSS is the parent organisation of the BJP.

“Today, I would like to proudly mention that 100 years ago, an organisation was born – Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,” he said. “100 years of service to the nation is a proud, golden chapter.”

He said that members of the organisation dedicate their lives to the welfare of the country.

The RSS was banned briefly thrice by the Union government since Independence.