UP-made BrahMos keeping Pakistan awake: Amit Shah
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Friday said BrahMos missiles manufactured in a transformed Uttar Pradesh were giving Pakistan “sleepless nights.” At the same time, AK-203 assault rifles produced in Amethi had become a weapon against Naxalites and terrorists.
Shah spoke at the opening of the fourth Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show at the India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida, joined by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The five-day event, held from September 25 to 29 with the theme “Ultimate Sourcing Begins Here,” aims to link the State’s manufacturers, MSMEs, artisans, and exporters with buyers from India and abroad.
Organisers expect over 2,400 exhibitors, around 1.5 lakh business visitors, more than 4.5 lakh general visitors, and over 550 international buyers from about 85 to 90 countries. Austria, Japan, Russia, Singapore, Belarus, and Vietnam are partner nations. Shah said that Uttar Pradesh’s industrial landscape has changed significantly, with investments coming into all six nodes of the Defence Industrial Corridor-Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Lucknow, Agra, Aligarh, and Kanpur. He said this growth shows both state and national progress.
He mentioned the BrahMos integration and testing facility in Lucknow, which opened in May 2025 and sent out its first batch of missiles later that year. He said these missiles have become a strategic symbol for the state. “Today, the BrahMos missiles manufactured in UP give Pakistan sleepless nights; this is a prime indicator of the transformation taking place,” he said. He also pointed to the Indo-Russian AK-203 plant in Amethi, saying the rifles were “giving sleepless nights to Naxalites and terrorists alike.”
The minister put these factories in the context of India’s broader defence production. He said India’s defence output has reached Rs 1.78 lakh crore, and defence exports have grown 56 times since 2013-14, now reaching nearly 80 countries, with Uttar Pradesh playing a key role. The Lucknow BrahMos unit, built for about Rs 300 crore on nearly 200 acres, is meant to assemble and test missiles and also encourage supplier industries and skilled jobs in the area.
Shah linked the defence industry’s growth to better law and order and increased investment. He remembered that in 2013, an investment conference planned for Lucknow had to move to Delhi because investors did not want to visit the state. He said improved policing under Yogi Adityanath’s government has created a “fear-free” environment where manufacturing can grow. According to him, places once known for illegal arms and crime now have missile plants, vehicle factories, and medical-device manufacturing. He credited this change to the “double-engine” BJP governments at the Centre and in Lucknow, and said the state aims to become a one-trillion-dollar economy.
The Home Minister also responded to critics of the national economy. He said some people have called India’s economy “dead,” but he replied that their thinking is dead. He said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has not only protected its growth amid global challenges but also strengthened it, citing GST collections of Rs 2.11 lakh crore, 12 semiconductor projects across six states, and capital expenditure of Rs 12.2 lakh crore. He added that free trade agreements signed with several countries had expanded Indian industry’s export capacity. By 2047, he said, India aimed to lead in every arena.
At the same event, Chief Minister Adityanath said the world now trusts Uttar Pradesh’s products, supply chains, and entrepreneurs. He pointed out that the state’s exports have passed Rs 2 lakh crore and that the trade show, now in its fourth edition, has become a key platform for One District One Product goods, MSMEs, and traditional skills looking for global buyers. His remarks highlighted three points: defence manufacturing in Uttar Pradesh is now a national asset, better governance supports this industrial change, and the trade show aims to turn this base into export orders. The “sleepless nights” phrase, whether seen as deterrence or political messaging, set the tone for the opening day of UPITS 2026.