‘Today, we're 4th largest economy…days are over when India was considered a soft state': Sudhanshu Trivedi

Indian Express

2 days ago

Delivering the 4th Balramji Dass Tandon Memorial Lecture at Panjab University, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said Sunday the world is watching India's rise closely but there is no need to fear it, as he underlined the nation's economic, strategic and cultural ascent under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking on the theme 'Why a Strong India Scares the World', Trivedi underscored that India now accounts for 48 per cent of global digital transactions, has 50 per cent of its installed power capacity from clean energy, and is the fastest-growing economy among the major countries.
Referring to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the BJP national spokesperson said India's contribution to global growth is going to be 15 per cent, adding that according to Morgan Stanley, India will become the engine of global growth in the next decade.
'The Word Bank has stated that 16 crore people have been lifted out of extreme poverty. Today, we are the fourth largest economy in the world,' he said.
Trivedi also noted India's co-chairing of the Global AI Summit as a marker of its growing international leadership.
Quoting PM Modi, Trivedi stressed that 'this is the right time' for India, and those attempting to create confusion will not succeed.
India's strength, he said, lies not only in its economic, military and intellectual capabilities but also in its spiritual and cultural power — unique assets that position India to shape the world order.
He cited the UN resolution on yoga, co-sponsored by 177 countries, as a strong example of India's growing soft power.
On the country's strong response to terrorism, he spoke of surgical strikes, the Balakot airstrike, and Operation Sindoor, emphasising that New India does not tolerate terror.
The Operation Sindoor proved that Pakistan's nuclear threats do not work, marking the end of India's era as a soft state, the BJP MP said.
'Those days are over when India was considered a soft state,' he said.
Explaining the communication between India's External Affairs Minister (S Jaishankar) and his Pakistani counterpart (Muhammad Ishaq Dar), Trivedi said the Operation Sindoor began at 1:05 am and concluded at 1:27 am.
Pakistan was informed at 1:30 am, and it was clarified that the strike was against terrorists, not Pakistan's military installations, he said.
He described it as a trap that Pakistan failed to recognise, which exposed the collusion of state and non-state actors within the neighbouring country.
Trivedi also said that the world is seeking alternatives to China for industrial investment and that India is best positioned to offer this.
India is the only country in the world that has received the S-400 missile system from Russia and advanced drone systems from the US, he said.
Russia does not supply arms to any QUAD member nation, while the US does not supply defence equipment to any country receiving arms from Russia, which proves India's tactfulness, he said.
On trade relations, Trivedi said the UK was more eager for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) than India, reflecting the country's rising economic stature.
'India is steadily becoming an economic superpower,' he said.
Describing Balramji Dass Tandon as a 'Path Pradarshak Deepak' (guiding lamp), Trivedi paid rich tributes to him for his contributions to the RSS, BJP and the region.
Lauding Tandon for his unwavering dedication to public service and organisational discipline, he referred to him as the 'foundation stone of the bright building which we are seeing now'.
Speaking on the occasion, Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma supported the demand to bestow a Padma award posthumously on Balramji Tandon for his contributions to society and the nation.
Sharma also shared his personal experience of working with him.
The Panjab University Vice-Chancellor, Prof Renu Vig, highlighted the contribution of Panjab University both before and after India's independence, and spoke about the unique character of the university, which has continued its journey from being the fourth oldest university to becoming a modern inter-state body corporate, with several advanced facilities and notable achievements to its credit.
Sanjay Tandon, president of the host foundation and son of Balramji Tandon, highlighted the teachings and high moral values of his father.
He shared various examples from the 1965 and 1971 wars and the Covid-19 pandemic, drawing parallels with his father's values and underlining the importance of probity and being a 'karma yogi' in public life.