Pokhran Tests Showed No Power Could Bend India: PM Modi

Remembering the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the operation showed that no global power could force India to bow down.

Taking to X, PM Modi posted, “On this very day in 1998, the nuclear tests conducted by India revealed to the world just how unwavering our nation’s resolve is! After the May 11 tests, the entire world brought pressure to bear on India, but we demonstrated that no power can bend India. And the interdependence of power and the powerful is established. There is no power without Shiva, nor Shiva without power.”

Known as Operation Shakti, the mission involved five underground nuclear tests carried out at the Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan over two days. Three explosions took place on May 11, followed by two more on May 13.

The programme received approval from former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, while scientists led by late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and the Atomic Energy Commission supervised the operation.

India formally declared itself a nuclear weapons state after the tests, and the country now observes May 11 as National Technology Day.

During the Somnath Amrut Mahotsav celebrations earlier this week, PM Modi said the blasts had shocked the world and triggered economic sanctions from several countries.

Despite heightened international scrutiny after the first three tests, India successfully carried out two additional detonations on May 13.

Referring to Vajpayee’s leadership, PM Modi said the government had prioritised national interest despite mounting global pressure. He also described the name ‘Operation Shakti’ as a symbol of India’s growing confidence and strategic strength on the world stage.

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