 "India, UK discuss defence ties, Indo-Pacific during defence ministers' dialogue 111")
During a phone call with his British counterpart Grant Shapps on Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh talked about ways to strengthen stronger defence ties and the security challenges facing the Indo-Pacific area.
Both Ministers spoke about a variety of defence and security-related topics, with an emphasis on the Indo-Pacific, according to the Defence Ministry. They talked about potential collaboration in new areas and gave a brief overview of the current engagements.
The two leaders discussed strategies for fostering stronger defense-related ties. Rajnath Singh also received an invitation by Grant Shapps to visit the UK soon.
“Had a telephonic conversation with the UK Secretary of State for Defence Mr Grant Shapps. We discussed a range of defence and security related issues with particular emphasis on the Indo-Pacific,” Rajnath Singh posted on X (formerly Twitter).
In August, Shapps took over as the United Kingdom’s new defence secretary following Ben Wallace’s resignation.
Notably, S Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, is spending four days in the UK. At London’s BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden Temple), he observed Diwali by praying.
He had discussed bilateral ties with former prime minister Tony Blair earlier in the day.
Along with wishing Prime Minister Narendra Modi a happy Diwali, he also met UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty at 10 Downing Street on Sunday. He was also given a Lord Ganesha statue and a cricket bat autographed by legendary Indian batsman Virat Kohli.
Shapps was likewise congratulated by Singh on being named Secretary of State for Defence.
Rajnath Singh, meanwhile, attacked the Congress during the Chhattisgarh election campaign for the ED’s allegations regarding the purported Mahadev betting app scam.
According to Singh, it appears that even Lord Shiva, also known as “Mahadev,” has come to the conclusion that the “corrupt” Congress administration ought to be “dislodged from power and the BJP ought to return to the hustings.”
(With agency inputs)
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