"Robber mentality": Rajnath Singh over Pakistan Army Chief Munir's 'Ferrari,' 'Dump Truck' remarks

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir's recent remarks comparing India and Pakistan's economic conditions amount to an admission of failure and display the "robber mentality" of Pakistan. Addressing the Economic Times World Leaders' forum 2025, Singh said Munir's remarks attempting to compare India with a luxury car and his own country with a dump truck was nothing but a confession of Pakistan's failure. The Union Minister said that after Operation Sindoor, such a doubt should never have arisen in Pakistan. "The Chief of the Pakistan Army, knowingly or unknowingly, has pointed towards a robber mentality, which Pakistan has been a victim of since its birth...We must break this delusion of the Pakistani Army. Due to 'Operation Sindoor,' such a delusion should not have arisen in their minds in the first place," he said. Singh said that the spirit of defending India must never die. "But we must ensure that alongside India's prosperity, our culture, and our economic prosperity, our defence capabilities and the spirit to fight for our national honour remain equally strong. We must ensure that in our civilisation, in our nation, that fighting spirit remains alive," he said. Singh said that if the statement were a warning from Pakistan, then India is prepared to give it a befitting reply. "I consider this statement of Asim Munir as a confession. I do not consider his statement as mere troll material... If we do not pay attention to the historical indication behind this serious warning, then it can become a matter of concern for us. And yes, if we pay attention to this and prepare for it, then India is capable of giving a befitting reply to such warnings," he said. "I would like to draw your attention to the statement given recently by Pakistan's Army Chief General Asim Munir. He said, "India is a shining Mercedes coming on the highway like a Ferrari, but we are a dump truck full of gravel. If the truck hits the car, who is going to be the loser?" India's economy is like a Mercedes and a Ferrari running on the highway. He said, I am not saying. Pakistan's economy is like a dump truck full of debris. Now you people know the answer to this," Singh said. He further said that this statement by Munir backfired as people questioned him that if India and Pakistan gained independence at the same time, why does India manage to be a 'Ferrari' but Pakistan was just a dumper truck. "Now, Asim Munir was trolled a lot for this statement both inside Pakistan and all over the world. Everyone said that if two countries got independence at the same time and one country built a Ferrari-like economy through hard work, right policies and foresight and the other is still in a dumper state, then it is their own failure," Singh said. Earlier on August 14, India hit out at Pakistan over recent nuclear war threats by its Army Chief, cautioning that any misadventure would have "painful consequences" as demonstrated in the past. "We have seen several statements and reports regarding the continuing pattern of reckless warmongering and hateful comments from Pakistani leadership against India," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during the weekly briefing.