In a sharp critique of the Congress party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reacted to an exclusive report by ABP News, highlighting the detrimental impact of the Congress-led UPA government’s policies on India’s defence sector. 

“Congress’s habit of delaying, diverting, and obstructing decisions, and making huge profits in the middle has dealt the biggest blow to the defence sector,” remarked PM Modi.

कांग्रेस की लटकाने, भटकाने, अटकाने और बीच में मोटी मलाई मारने की आदत ने देश के रक्षा क्षेत्र को सबसे बड़ा आघात पहुंचाया है। https://t.co/8RxzNhAuK8

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 24, 2024

ABP News Exclusive On BrahMos Export Delay

The ABP News report unveils significant delays in the export of BrahMos missiles during the UPA government’s tenure. The report reveals that repeated political clearances were cited as the reason for halting progress.

A key finding of the report shows that a team from BrahMos Aerospace was prevented from visiting the Philippines just before the Modi government took office in 2014. The report further discloses that in 2011, the Foreign Secretary declared that discussions on BrahMos exports would not proceed until an export policy was formulated. Additionally, in 2010, an Indonesian delegation in New Delhi was stopped from visiting BrahMos Aerospace.

Before the formation of the Modi government, on 17 April 2014, the Director of South in the Ministry of External Affairs wrote a letter to the GM (Design) of Brahmos Aerospace. This letter was written when the team of Brahmos Aerospace was about to go to the Philippines for talks on export. The letter stated that there was no political clearance for the visit to the Philippines, hence the trip required approval from the Ministry of External Affairs.

These revelations come amid PM Modi’s frequent criticisms of the previous administration’s policy paralysis, which he contends hampered crucial defence advancements.