Indian drone tech 'very impressive', Rahul's remarks last year did disservice: BJP

BJP national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha on Friday termed as very impressive the level of technological advancement of Indian drones and alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi did a disservice to domestic innovators and undermined national self-confidence by dismissing Indias capabilities last year.

BJP national spokesperson Tuhin Sinha on Friday termed as ''very impressive'' the level of technological advancement of Indian drones and alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi did a disservice to domestic innovators and undermined ''national self-confidence'' by dismissing India's capabilities last year. The BJP spokesperson made these remarks after visiting a drone manufacturing facility on the outskirts of Delhi recently to assess India's indigenous drone capabilities firsthand. ''The findings were reassuring. The level of technological advancement of Indian drones is damn impressive. It vindicates the success of Make In India, particularly in the Defence sector. It blows Rahul Gandhi's propaganda to smithereens,'' he said. If a relatively young MSME can attain this degree of technical sophistication, it underscores the broader strength and maturity of India's drone manufacturing ecosystem, he said, referring to the drone manufacturing unit that he visited. ''Dismissing India's capabilities outright by the Leader of the Opposition does a disservice to domestic innovators and undermines national self-confidence,'' he charged. In a post on X on February 15 last year, Gandhi had said, ''Drones have revolutionised warfare, combining batteries, motors and optics to manoeuver and communicate on the battlefield in unprecedented ways. But drones are not just one technology - they are bottom-up innovations produced by a strong industrial system.'' ''Unfortunately, PM Modi has failed to grasp this. While he delivers 'teleprompter' speeches on AI, our competitors are mastering new technologies. India needs a strong production base not empty words,'' he had charged. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had also highlighted how China had started producing drones which were revolutionising warfare across the world, saying India needed to develop a strategy to become competitive in this area. Slamming Gandhi for his remarks, Sinha said India's drone industry is currently valued at around USD 1 billion and is projected to grow close to USD 10 billion in the coming years, driven by defence, agriculture, logistics, infrastructure monitoring, and disaster management. The government initiatives, such as the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, have played a critical role in encouraging new entrants, while larger defence manufacturers are scaling advanced platforms, he said.

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