Question

I am confused! Isn’t it all about atom bombs? Why don’t we say so?

Answer 1

India’s nuclear policy was about more than atom bombs. The nuclear programme began with the aim of developing atomic energy for peaceful purposes, and Nehru opposed nuclear weapons and called for disarmament. India criticised the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as discriminatory and described its 1974 test as a peaceful nuclear explosion. Later, the 1998 tests demonstrated India’s ability to use nuclear energy for military purposes. The policy therefore involves energy, security, disarmament and the question of who should possess nuclear weapons.