N-tests mean no council seat: Sen

“The blasts have left India with no chance of getting into the Security Council. If this is a qualification for becoming a permanent member, others could follow it,” Sen said.

Stating that India’s real status was in having a home-grown capability of using nuclear energy peacefully, he said it had not lost the moral authority to speak on behalf of non-nuclear nations.

The blasts were conducted for “narrow” considerations and it had led to India losing its military advantage over Pakistan, Sen said.“The Pakistan response was foreseen. But no one seem to be worried,” he said, adding the nuclear tests hadnow made it much harder to stop from internationalising the Kashmir issue.

The blasts were also conducted as India did not want to be identified with Pakistan and wanted to be treated on par with China, he said, pointing out to Defence Minister George Fernandes’ statement before the blasts.

Sen said one of the reasons for India to conduct the tests, was its frustrations on international views about it.

“.. The inequality, the smugness of nuclear powers, their inability to see that there are real issues that worry a country like India (had also led to the decision to conduct the tests),” he said.

India as a large country, deserved a better consideration from nuclear powers and he understood the frustrations, the Nobel laureate said.

“But, I think the response was morally wrong and more importantly in the political level, it was a realpolitik mistake,” he added.