PM Modi hails India’s “position of strength” in recent trade deals, slams UPA for missed opportunities, and calls for bold private sector investment. With defence modernisation and Budget 2026 reforms, is India poised for its next big leap?
The prime minister also praised the Union Budget 2026
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India negotiated its recent trade agreements with the United States, the European Union, and New Zealand from a “position of strength,” highlighting the country’s robust manufacturing sector and thriving MSMEs.
Speaking to PTI, he contrasted this with the previous Congress-led UPA government, which he said left India unable to negotiate confidently during 2004-2014.
PM Modi credited political stability and predictability under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government for restoring investor confidence. “Our national character has revealed itself even in times of different challenges, and we are a bright spot of growth even in difficult global circumstances,” he said.
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The prime minister emphasised that long negotiations during the UPA tenure yielded little, whereas today India is able to secure beneficial deals that reflect its growing economic strength.
Reiterating his government’s commitment to strengthening India’s armed forces, PM Modi said modernising defence is a duty in line with current strategic realities. Referring to Union Budget 2026-27, he noted that the Ministry of Defence has been allocated ₹7.85 lakh crore, a 15% increase from the previous year, signalling urgency and national resolve in upgrading the sector.
The prime minister also praised the Union Budget 2026, calling it a forward-looking plan that avoids populism while focusing on infrastructure investment, job creation, and sustainable growth. “This Budget represents the next level in this journey, imparting momentum to our ‘Reform Express,’” he said, adding that it prepares India’s youth for opportunities in a rapidly changing world.
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PM Modi urged the private sector to invest boldly, stressing that broken and outdated infrastructure cannot have a place in a developed India. “We have revolutionised the infrastructure sector with speed, scale, and focus on next-gen projects,” he said, highlighting the government’s strategic choice to prioritise productivity, jobs, and long-term economic capacity, all aligned with India’s vision of Viksit Bharat.
The prime minister’s remarks underscore the government’s focus on trade, defence, infrastructure, and reforms as pillars of India’s growth trajectory in the coming years.
