The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday demanded Defence Minister A K Antony's resignation, upping the ante against the government over the controversy surrounding the army chief's allegation that he was offered a bribe for the clearance of Tatra truck contracts. Raising the issue during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, BJP leader Prakash Javadekar asked whether the minister was patronising corruption as no action has been taken against anybody though a probe was ordered two years ago.
On Wednesday, October 18, 2023, US President Joe Biden visited Tel Aviv to express support for Israel in public and persuade Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli war cabinet in private to allow humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians in Gaza.
It is expected that FBI chief Wray will hold talks with senior Indian security officials.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday warned that security forces will experience a 'hot summer' this year as those hostile to India's interest are trying to infiltrate more and more terrorists into the country."Those inimical to India's interest are sending more and more terrorists across the border and the summer is going to be a hot summer as far as security is concerned," Antony told reporters.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday accused Pakistan of 'not willing' to act against terrorists infiltrating into Jammu and Kashmir from its side of the border, even after the Mumbai attacks last November.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Friday asked the three services to remain alert and step up vigilance around the first anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Downplaying reports of India losing territory to China in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday said there was 'no change' in the Line of Actual Control.Antony said the issue was raised at a meeting he had with Jammu and Kashmir government officials and Army officers in Jammu on Tuesday, where the Army Corps Commander for Ladakh had categorically reported that there was not much change in the situation along the LAC.
Antony asked the commanders to be more vigilant and to take appropriate steps in the light of Sunday's developments in Afghanistan which saw a series of suicide bomb attacks, defence ministry officials said.
Defence Minister A K Antony, on Thursday, carried out an in-depth review of coastal security mechanism put in place post-26/11 and ordered Navy and Coast Guard to quickly integrate all maritime agencies into the security grid to plug "gaps" in the apparatus.
In a new twist to the politically sensitive graft case in which he is an accused, CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan today filed a petition in a special court in Kochi seeking direction to the CBI to question Defence Minister A K Antony, the then chief minister of the state.
Defence Minister A K Antony has not always been averse to taking tough decisions. What has changed now? Aditi Phadnis analyses
China, on Thursday, hosted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Defence Minister AK Antony.
Union Defence Minister A K Antony on Monday said it was "unfortunate and painful" that 70 per cent of the defence equipment was still being imported and informed the Lok Sabha that government was working towards manufacturing state-of-the-art equipment indigenously.
India, on Thursday, said infiltration from Pakistan has declined in the recent past, but the threat from terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir is "real" and there is no question of lowering the guard. "Of late, there has been a decline in infiltration in the borders but we cannot say it is an improvement," Defence Minister A K Antony told media-persons after addressing the Unified Commanders' Conference in New Delhi.
Defence Minister A K Antony said on Friday that the truce between Pakistan and Taliban has added to India's "worries" over the security scenario in the region.
Amidst controversy over the issue of revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Defence Minister A K Antony on Friday said that the final decision on it would be taken by the Unified Command Headquarters in the state.
On Wednesday, October 18, United States President Joe Biden arrived in Tel Aviv to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
India and Pakistan need more time to resolve the "complicated" Siachen issue and have agreed to continue the dialogue process further, Defence minister A K Antony said on Friday.
Preliminary investigations have indicated that blasts on submarine INS Sindhurakshak were caused by "possible ignition" of armament, Defence Minister A K Antony said.
A total of 162 soldiers of undivided India have been laid to rest in 17 locations in Germany. Of these, 50 have been commemorated in the Berlin War Cemetery. These soldiers belong to Indian Armoured Corps, Indian Artillery, Infantry, Royal Indian Army Service Corps, Madras Sappers and Miners, Indian Army Remount Corps and Indian Army Ordnance Corps.
Scores of workers of Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, held a protest outside Defence Minister A K Antony's residence in New Delhi demanding a strong response by the government against the killing of five Indian soldiers on the Line of Control.
With Intelligence inputs warning of a possible aerial terror attack, Defence Minister A K Antony today said the armed forces were ready to take on any future threats against the country. "We are ready for any eventuality," Antony told reporters while replying to a question on the sidelines of a function to honour war widows in New Delhi.
India on Thursday described as a "matter of concern" the US charging the Indian national with conspiring to kill the Sikh separatist, and asserted that a high-level probe committee will investigate all aspects of the case.
Defence Minister A K Antony Wednesday downplayed as an "internal family matter" the spat after Union home ministry raised serious questions over Indian Air Force personnel allegedly abandoning an injured policeman and an armed chopper which made an emergency landing following Maoist fire.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that the Canadian allegations with regard to the death of a Khalistani separatist was discussed during his meeting with the Secretary of State Tony Blinken a day earlier and noted that the two delegations came out better informed after the meeting.
"We have to provide better salaries and incentives to people joining the defence forces to enable the forces to compete with the other sectors," he said.
Upset over the poor infrastructure along the Sino-Indian border in Sikkim, Defence Minister A K Antony on Sunday said he would "vigorously" pursue for taking urgent steps to develop the frontier areas to match China.
Against the backdrop of a tiff between India and China over the South China Sea, Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday called for exercising restraint to resolve the issue while pressing for freedom of navigation and access to resources.
The region already faces a problem from sea pirates and the terror threat had dimensions of bringing in non-State actors as well as agents of transnational crimes, Antony said while inaugurating an 'International Maritime Search and Rescue Conference 2008' in New Delhi. There should be a continuous vigil by the organisations like Coast Guard as well as maritime forces in the region, he said, adding that cooperation with other countries, including China, was vital.
If the party's members aren't sure what it stands for, see no path to wealth or power, and endure control by a dynasty, which, almighty as it is within the party, cannot get them the votes, they are likely to explore options, notes Shekhar Gupta.
With the country's armed forces and defence establishments making strides to become network-centric, Antony said cyber attacks would pose a major threat. He said with terrorist and non-state actors clandestinely acquiring sophisticated cyber technology, this threat could be more ominous.
Ruling out joining any military pact or alliance with other countries, Defence Minister A K Antony made it clear that India will not tone down or give up its growing engagements with major powers like the United States, Russia and others as these were aimed at increasing the capabilities of the Indian armed forces. He also said that the country's armament programmes were going at a steady pace.
A source in the Congress party has said that the name of the next presidential candidate from the UPA would surface by May 25. Renu Mittal reports
As Antony talked to army officers and journalists accompanying him, several camera flashes went off on the Pakistani side.
In the backdrop of the recent storm over alleged corruption in defence procurements, Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday said the country's interests were paramount and there will be "no cover up and no vendetta".
Stunned though he was that Phil Jackson has not returned as Los Angeles Lakers head coach, All-Star guard Kobe Bryant said on Tuesday he was excited about the prospect of playing under new appointee Mike D'Antoni.
Against the backdrop of recent suicides and fratricides by jawans and stand-offs between them and officers, Defence Minister A K Antony on Thursday asked the armed forces to adopt a liberal approach to jawans' pleas for leave and respond promptly.
Veena Kohli, mother of Captain Sumit Kohli who died under mysterious circumstances in 2006, on Saturday met Defence Minister A K Antony and demanded an independent probe into her son's death. Kohli, who was accompanied by her daughter Namrata and her advocate Major Guneep Chaudhary, appealed to Antony to provide justice to the family as she believes her son was murdered at the Army residential complex in Jammu and Kashmir by his fellow officers.