Sanctions will harm nation — UCPI leader

The UCPI leader said that nuclear weapons were only a sure guarantee for mutual destruction of both the victor and the vanquished. “We must not expect our neighbours, China and Pakistan, to behave differently,” he said.

It is was, however, doubtful whether Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had correctly anticipated the possible reaction against the underground tests. “Otherwise,” Singh pointed out, “why should he (PM) write explanatory letters to various governments. That is national humiliation.”

Singh said that though the BJP had been talking of the need for “India to go nuclear during the last four to five years”, the hurry with which Vajpayee had decided to conduct tests had startled the world. The five tests accomplished by the scientists and engineers last week were the successful culmination of the last 50 years of cumulative research and development, he said.

During this period, the UCPI leader said, the country had 10 Prime Ministers, none of whom could be held guilty of ignoring the national security. Work on different defence projects had continued unaffected by the changes in governments, he said.