Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday (18 May 2026) that whenever India’s neighboring country has committed any nefarious act, it has been given a befitting reply. He said that any audacity will be given an effective response. Rajnath made this comment while addressing the people of the Indian community in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Without naming Pakistan, he said, “Whenever our neighboring country has committed any ‘nefarious act’ and by ‘nefarious’ you must have understood whose misdeeds I am talking about – it has been given a befitting reply every time. Now it should not do it again.”

Rajnath Singh said, “Sometimes indirectly with the help of terrorism they try to destabilize and weaken India, but on behalf of the government and as the Defense Minister of the country, I want to assure you that if any attempt is made to threaten India’s sovereignty, our country is capable of responding effectively and India will respond effectively.” The Defense Minister also mentioned ‘Operation Sindoor’ launched in response to the Pahalgam attack.

India’s strict nuclear message

A poster based on ‘Operation Sindoor’ was also put up near the stage from where he delivered the speech. Rajnath said, “Our defense forces did a wonderful job (during that operation).” He said that as far as “no first use” is concerned, India has maintained its commitment of “no first use” and this commitment will remain in future also. However, Rajnath clarified, “This is our commitment, but India will not accept any kind of ‘nuclear blackmailing’.” The Defense Minister left on Monday on a four-day visit to Vietnam and South Korea. The aim of the visit is to explore ways to strengthen strategic defense cooperation, including joint production of military equipment.

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