New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) The Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check unit on Monday debunked a fake and fabricated claim circulating on social media alleging that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had made a statement regarding India’s support for the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

Taking to social media platform X, PIB Fact Check termed the viral claim as “fake news” and cautioned people against believing misleading propaganda being spread online.

“Fake News Alert! A Pakistani propaganda account is circulating a claim that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has made a statement regarding India’s support to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA),” PIB Fact Check posted on X.

The fact-checking unit further clarified, “The claim is fake and fabricated. The Defence Minister has not made any such statement. Beware of accounts propagating false narratives about the Government of India.”

PIB Fact Check also urged citizens to report suspicious content related to the Central government through its official channels, including WhatsApp number +91 8799711259 and email factcheck@pib.gov.in.

According to the fake post shared online, Rajnath Singh was falsely quoted as saying that India “fully supports the BLA and will continue providing financial aid and weapons to the BLA.” The fabricated post further claimed that when a reporter questioned him, the Defence Minister allegedly replied, “Absolutely, I am sure.”

However, PIB clarified that no such statement had been made by the Defence Minister. The misleading content also included a YouTube video link from an event held on Saturday in Shirdi, Maharashtra, where Rajnath Singh inaugurated a private sector Defence manufacturing complex.

During the event, the Defence Minister flagged off India’s first 300-km Universal Rocket Launching System, ‘Suryastra’, and emphasised the importance of indigenous Defence manufacturing. He stated that a nation capable of producing its own weaponry “writes its own destiny.”

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Rajnath Singh highlighted that future warfare would increasingly depend on advanced munitions, automation, and indigenous technological capabilities rather than merely the size of armed forces.

Referring to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, tensions in West Asia, and India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’, he stressed the need for self-reliance in Defence production for both national security and economic resilience.

He also reiterated the government’s commitment to transforming India into a global hub for munitions and automated systems through initiatives such as ‘Make-in-India’, Positive Indigenisation Lists, iDEX, ADITI, and the Technology Development Fund.

Earlier, on May 24, the government had also warned citizens against another fake online investment scheme circulating in the name of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

PIB Fact Check clarified that the so-called ‘Quantum AI’ investment platform, which falsely promised monthly earnings of Rs 3 lakh on an investment of Rs 22,000, was fraudulent and had no connection with the Government of India or the Finance Minister.

–IANS

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