Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's twelve-year tenure with transforming India's security posture and defence self-reliance, citing military operations, indigenous hardware milestones, and a campaign against left-wing extremism as evidence of a 'new glorious chapter' in national security.

Context

Posting under the hashtag #12YearsOfSurakshitBharat (12 Years of a Secure India), CM Gupta highlighted three major counter-terrorism operations — the 2016 Surgical Strike across the Line of Control, the 2019 Balakot Air Strike, and the more recent Operation Sindoor — as demonstrations of India's resolve under a 'zero tolerance' policy against terrorism. She wrote that Indian soldiers had 'eliminated hundreds of terrorists' and sent a 'clear message to the entire world' that India is now fully capable of delivering an 'extremely effective and decisive response to any misadventure.'

The post also noted that the combined effect of these operations, along with sustained defence modernisation, reflects what she described as a commitment to 'trust, development, and public welfare' accelerating India toward a Viksit Bharat (Developed India).

Policy Backdrop

The Surgical Strike of September 2016 was carried out by the Indian Army against terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control following the Uri attack. The Balakot Air Strike of February 2019 was conducted by the Indian Air Force against a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack.

On the indigenisation front, INS Vikrant — India's first domestically built aircraft carrier — was commissioned in September 2022, marking a landmark in naval self-reliance. The Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile, developed indigenously, has been tested multiple times to bolster strategic deterrence. CM Gupta cited a 56-fold rise in defence exports and 97 per cent indigenous composition of naval vessels as further proof of progress under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative in defence production.

The Atmanirbhar Bharat push in defence, launched with policy reforms from 2014 onward, has emphasised domestic manufacturing and export promotion, progressively reducing reliance on foreign platforms across the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Stakeholders and Impact

Residents of Naxal-affected districts across Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and neighbouring states stand among the primary beneficiaries of the parallel development drive. CM Gupta cited the construction of more than 15,100 kilometres of roads and the installation of more than 9,600 mobile towers in these regions as 'concrete proof of development,' complementing security operations to shrink insurgent space.

She also stated that the goal of a 'Naxal-free India' was realised by March 2026, framing it as a long-standing national resolve now fulfilled. Defence forces and border communities in sensitive regions are also key stakeholders in the broader connectivity and infrastructure push along frontier areas.

What's Next

The government's two-pronged approach — assertive external deterrence paired with internal stabilisation through infrastructure — is expected to remain central to the ruling party's national security narrative ahead of upcoming legislative sessions. Official reclassification of formerly Naxal-affected districts and fresh defence export targets are anticipated in forthcoming Ministry of Defence annual reports and the next Union Budget. The scale of indigenisation claimed, including the 56-fold export growth, is likely to feature prominently in policy documents as benchmarks for the next phase of the Atmanirbhar Bharat defence roadmap.