‘Touch the sky with glory’: PM Narendra Modi welcomes Rafale fighter jets with a Sanskrit tweet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed the landing of Rafale fighter jets in Ambala with a tweet in Sanskrit which refers to the obligation of protecting one’s nation being supreme.

The Prime Minister’s tweet came moments after the first batch of five Rafale Jets touched down in Ambala on Wednesday afternoon after covering 7,000 km in flight since its take off from France on Tuesday.

“There is no greater blessing than protecting the nation, protecting the nation is a virtuous deed and protecting the nation is the best Yagna. There is nothing beyond this. Touch the sky with glory. Welcome,” a rough translation of his tweet says.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tweet also carries a reference to the motto carved on Indian Air Force insignia which says ‘Nav sparsham deeptam’ in Sanskrit or ‘touch the sky with glory’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is believed to have personally advocated for entering a government to government agreement with France for the procurement of 36 Rafale jets.

The new Rafale fighters jets will significantly enhance the offensive capabilities of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and prove to be a game-changer with their advanced weaponry, defence experts have said.

After the Rafale jets touched down in Ambala, defence minister Rajnath Singh delivered a veiled warning to adversaries looking to challenge India’s territorial integrity without naming China, which has been locked in a protracted border conflict with India in eastern Ladakh, where a deadly clash between the armies of the two sides resulted in deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of casualties on the Chinese side. India has accused the Chinese Army of attempting to alter the status quo on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control.

“I would like to add, if it is anyone who should be worried about or critical about this new capability of the Indian Air Force, it should be those who want to threaten our territorial integrity,” Rajnath tweeted and posted a video clip of the Rafale jets landing at the Ambala base of the Indian Air Force.

Rajnath also credited the Prime Minister with taking a timely decision for the purchase of the aircraft.

“The Rafale jets were purchased only because PM Shri @narendramodi took the right decision to get these aircrafts through an Inter-Governmental Agreement with France, after the long pending procurement case for them could not progress. I thank him for his courage & decisiveness,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the subject of a sustained political attack over the Rafale deal with France by the Congress-- led by its former president Rahul Gandhi in the run up to 2019 Lok Sabha polls—alleging irregularities in the government to government deal. However, the Supreme Court rejected the contention and the NDA led by PM Modi stormed back into power.