BJP to bank on national security in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh

Modi will lay the foundation stone of a new Rs 400 crore facility that the Bharat Dynamics Limited will set up over 183 acres of land at Jhansi

After flying in a military aircraft and landing on the Purvanchal Expressway, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead “Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv” celebration in Uttar Pradesh later this week, as his party appeared to be making national security as one of its main poll planks ahead of the forthcoming assembly elections.

The “Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv” will commence at Jhansi in Bundelkhand Region of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday – just a day after the Prime Minister flew on board a C-130 J Super Hercules aircraft of the Indian Air Force and landed on an emergency airstrip built on the Purvanchal Expressway connecting capital Lucknow with the eastern region of the state.

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Modi will lead the concluding ceremony of Rashtra Raksha Samarpan Parv on the birth anniversary of Rani Lakshmibai, one of the icons of the 1857 rebellion against the British East India Company. He will lay the foundation stone of a new Rs 400 crore facility that the Bharat Dynamics Limited will set up over 183 acres of land at Jhansi for manufacturing propulsion systems for the anti-tank guided missiles, according to the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi. The Public Sector Undertaking is setting up the manufacturing plant as part of the UP Defence Industrial Corridor project of the Union Government.

After inaugurating the 3.2-kilometer-long airstrip built on the Purvanchal Expressway for emergency landing of military aircraft on Tuesday, the Prime Minister tacitly criticised the erstwhile Congress and Congress-led governments for not paying adequate attention on building defence infrastructure. He is likely to reiterate his criticism at the event at Jhansi on Friday.

Uttar Pradesh will go to polls in February-March next year, along with Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Punjab. The ruling BJP is likely to rely much on its national security poll plank, with its campaign highlighting the UP Defence Industrial Corridor project and the Modi government’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ programme to seek self-reliance in the defence sector.

The Prime Minister will formally hand over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari Light Combat Helicopters designed and developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited based in Bengaluru. He will hand over to the Indian Army and the Indian Navy indigenously developed military hardware, including the drones developed by the start-ups and the advanced Electronic Warfare suits manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited based in Bengaluru for naval ships.

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Modi will also launch the Union Government’s programme for setting up 100 Sainik Schools throughout the country over the next two years in partnership with private educational institutions, NGOs and the State Governments.

The run-up to the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and the four other states started amid the continuing India-China military stand-off, which renewed the focus on defence capabilities of the nation. The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan also gave Pakistan a strategic edge against India. Pakistan also of late restarted flouting the ceasefire along its Line of Control (LoC) with India after a lull of few months.

The Prime Minister on Friday will formally roll out a scheme to expand the National Cadet Corps to enrol one lakh more cadets in the border and coastal areas of the country. He will also launch the NCC Alumni Association, registering himself as its first member.

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