Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that no power in the world can force India to bow down, as he recalled the country’s 1998 nuclear tests in Pokhran during Somnath Amrut Mahotsav celebrations, marking 75 years of the reconstructed Somnath Temple.
While addressing the gathering after participating in Vishesh Maha Puja, followed by the Kumbhabhishek and Dhvajarohan ceremonies, PM Modi said that the Pokhran nuclear tests showed India’s strong political will despite global pressure and sanctions.
“On May 11, 1998 – on this very day – India conducted nuclear tests in Pokhran. Many kinds of restrictions were imposed. Even the paths of economic opportunities were blocked.
Anyone would have been shaken when powerful nations across the world launched such a massive attack. But we are made of a different soil," the Prime Minister said.PM Modi noted that India carried out another round of tests on May 13 despite international criticism.“That showed the world how unwavering India’s political will truly was," PM Modi said, adding, “No power in the world can suppress or force India to bow down."