No other issue during the Vajpayee regime has raised as much controversy as the nuclear explosion at Pokharan on 11th May 1998. While some Indians greeted the explosion with joy and pride as it made India a member of the exclusive nuclear club, there were quite a few who were dismayed by the extremely expensive and wasteful exercise which affects India’s meager resources in fighting the chronic poverty afflicting the country.
As expected, the international community widely condemned India’s nuclear adventure seeing in it the proliferation of an arms race in the third world countries of South-East Asia. Angry United States, Japan and Germany slapped economic sanctions against India thus apparently jeopardising India’s efforts at economic breakthrough through participation of aid agencies and the foreign investors. International monetary Fund and the World Bank, too, either suspended their financial assistance or announced their withdrawal from many of the project proposals, which were being processed for finalisation.
At home, the left parties and quite a few intellectuals denounced the nuclear explosion finding fault with both its justification and its timing. It was alleged that the government has diverted the popular attention from the crucial issues involving water- supply, health care education and food security of the impoverished millions. It was also considered a provocation to the neighbouring Pakistan to respond with her own nuclear explosions and thus to accentuate the simmering tension between the traditional rivals. (Pakistan immediately responded with explosion of 5 nuclear devices against India’s 3 explosions.). Arundhati Roy, the Booker Prize winning English novelist, termed the explosion a cruel joke on the masses.According to her, the money spent on the nuclear explosion could have brought long awaited water supply or electricity to many rural homes and the light of education to the illiterate masses.
Many people in India, particularly the scientific community, hailed the nuclear explosion as a mark of India’s self-reliance and dignity. They saw in it a clear demonstration of India’s advancement in the field of science and technology. Coming as the nuclear explosion did at the head of a succession of successful testing of missiles; it established India’s position as a technological power. While some of the opposition parties attributed political motives to the ruling party for the timing of the explosion, they showered wholesome praise on the Indian scientists for their remarkable skills that made the feat possible. India is no longer dependent on other countries for developing its nuclear technology for war or peace.
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Not a few see the nuclear capability of India as a credible deterrant. No country can now threaten our country as like the superpowers, India too has the nuclear bomb. Some say that, this will reduce expenditure on the conventional weapon as the possession of bombs by both India and Pakistan has reduced the danger of their going to war. The realisation that both have power of destroying each other would restrain them from waging a war against each other. Nuclear equality may prompt them to undertake serious negotiations for peace between the two countries.lt was near equal parity between the nuclear powers of U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. which exercised restraint on them even during the provocative incident of the Bay of Pigs in 1962 and prevented the outbreak of open hostility between them.
India’s nuclear policy cannot be considered in isolation from its geo-political situation. When her neighbour, China, has developed and made a massive nuclear arsenal how India can be expected to remain non-nuclear? Who will come to her aid in case a nuclear power like China or Pakistan wages war against India? Even the guarantees given by a superpower like the U.S.A. may not be of immediate practical use. In any case a big country like India cannot afford dependence on another country in the matter of her security. It is a fact of life and even more so of international relations that the powerful command more numerous friends and collaborators in time of need than the week. India’s attempt to arm herself with nuclear weapons, is, therefore perfectly justified.
Preparedness for war is the best guarantee for peace. Seen in this light money spent on the building up of nuclear arsenal is worthwhile. Money spent now may save India from a huge loss of life and property, which a possible war entails. In any case to keep the defence forces in a state of preparedness for war requires not only training and periodical war exercises, but also the upgradation of weaponry. Expenditure on nuclear weapons should also be seen as a part of legitimate defense expenses. India’s nuclear policy forms an integral part of India’s foreign policy.
In the international sphere, there is no universally enforceable laws and convention. The might is literally right in the relationships governing different countries. Even the UN confers veto rights on the first five nuclear powers. They have greater voice in settling international disputes than the non-nuclear nations. India’s size and stature entitles her to a much better position in the international matters than she has so far got. India’s nuclear status will help India modernize the defense forces. Obsolete equipment should be weeded out to save expenditure on things of doubtful utility.
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India has declared time and again that it will never be the first user of nuclear power in case of armed conflict with its enemy country. Pakistan on the other hand has never given any indication that it will abjure the first use of nuclear power. India intends to use nuclear weapons only as a last resort in self-defence. If the human affairs are characterized by infallible rationality and the leaders of all countries of the world can be dependent upon to be guided by rational and human considerations no country need spend huge resources on building up nuclear capability. But the recent history has demonstrated time and again that ambitious and megalomaniac people like Hitler can capture power by hijacking the democratic process.
Such people never listen to the voice of reason. Our neighbor Pakistan has periodically come under military dictators and it can be suicidal to depend on their good sense in the matter of nuclear restraint. Such a neighbor can be kept in check only by a show of force. India’s nuclear preparedness is therefore an unavoidable condition for self-defence.
The celebrated Indian scientist, Professor Abdul Kalam, has stated that the development of nuclear capability has helped India considerably in the field of developing nuclear medicine. Many types of dreaded cancer have responded to nuclear medicine bringing hope to the lives of many hopeless cancer patients. Nuclear research has led to serendipitous results in forging new metals and also led to a breakthrough in the production of a very low-weight but strong calipers for the use of polio-affected persons.as mentioned by Prof. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam in his book India Vision 2020. Radioisotopes developed by nuclear scientists are also being increasingly used to cure patients suffering from many ailments of the thyroid.
It is evident that the research in the nuclear sciences has been useful not only in the field of defense but also in other areas like nuclear medicine and assistive devices. India has also made use of nuclear energy in power generation. Nuclear research is an area full of great potentialities and can be used both for peace and self-defense. India must keep herself abreast of the latest advancement in this field and keep on building indigenous capacity, as we cannot be sure of help from other countries in case of need.