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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that the Brahmos missile proved instrumental in Operation Sindoor and since then, more than a dozen countries have expressed interest in it.

Singh said this at an event in Lucknow where he unveiled a statue of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Chandra Bhanu Gupta at the National PG College and released a postage stamp in tribute to him.

"Just a few days ago, I inaugurated a Brahmos airspace integration and testing facility in Lucknow. You must have seen that in Operation Sindoor, Brahmos missile has done a miraculous job and not only this, after the miracle shown by Brahmos missile, about 14-15 countries of the world have demanded Brahmos missile from India," Singh said.

"Brahmos missile will now be exported from Lucknow as well. I believe that this facility will strengthen our country's self-reliance in the defence sector, and at the same time, it will also create employment. My effort is that more industries should also come here so that, along with Lucknow, the state also develops rapidly," he said.

The minister claimed that UP was attracting more and more industries on the back of strong law and order and infrastructural robustness.

"Historical changes are taking place in infrastructure. Expressway, airport, metro, medical college, all these are presenting a new picture of development," he said.

"Uttar Pradesh has a huge contribution in the security of the country. I have said earlier, and today I feel that at least on the soil of Uttar Pradesh, no criminal can dare to walk with confidence," Singh said.

Singh, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Lucknow, also showered praise on Chandra Bhanu Gupta, who served as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh four times.

"Chandra Bhanu Gupta ji started as a simple worker in the freedom movement and made a place in the hearts of millions of people through his sacrifice, commitment and leadership. Chandra Bhanu Gupta's life tells us that power does not mean only position or authority, but responsibility, sacrifice and protecting the interests of the public.

"His life also gives us the message that there may be differences in politics, but there should not be animosity," he said.

Singh, who is also a former UP CM, said the postage stamp was not only a tribute to Chandra Bhanu Gupta, but also a tribute to his "high life values." "It is a message that service, simplicity and honesty have been important in Indian politics and will remain important in the future too," he said.

Singh said Chandra Bhanu Gupta's vision and agenda were never regional, always nationalistic.

"Chandra Bhanu ji was not in power for very long (time). But in the short time he was in power, he gave priority to public welfare works. He was always known for his integrity," he said.

He also said that the former CM did not agree much with the economic policies of Jawaharlal Nehru.

He said that even though Gupta did not agree with the Kamaraj Plan, he resigned from the CM post. "You can imagine how an elected leader had to step down from the post due to the dislike of some people," Singh said.

In 1963, K Kamaraj (former chief minister of Madras) suggested to Nehru that senior Congress leaders should leave ministerial posts to take up organisational work.

The suggestion came to be known as the Kamaraj Plan, which was designed primarily to dispel the notion that Congressmen were attached to power.

The plan was approved by the Congress Working Committee and was implemented within two months.

Six chief ministers and six Union ministers resigned under the plan.

Kamaraj was later elected president of the Indian National Congress on October 9, 1963. 

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)