The Congress on Friday demanded to know whether India’s ‘no first use’ nuclear doctrine had been altered by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central Government, especially after Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday said that his personal view was that India as a responsible nuclear power should not bind itself to the ‘no first use’ policy.
Adding to the controversy that Parrikar’s comment has triggered, All India Congress Committee General Secretary Digvijaya Singh on Friday told The Pioneer that such a statement was unbecoming of a person holding the post of Defence Minister.
“The Prime Minister and the Government of India must come clean on this. Have they changed the stated policy of the Government of India as far as first use of nuclear weapons is concerned,” Singh said.
The senior Congress leader, who is the party’s general secretary in-charge of Goa, was in Goa to oversee preparations for the upcoming State legislative Assembly elections, which are likely to be held in early 2017.
“First use of our nuclear arsenal is contrary to the stated policy of the Government of India. We are a land which believes in the Gandhian principles of non violence and we have always believed in disarmament policy of nuclear weapons initiated by Rajiv Gandhi,” Singh also said.
Speaking at a public forum, Parrikar on Thursday had said, “Why should I bind myselfIJ I should say I am a responsible nuclear power and I will not use it irresponsibly. This is my (personal) thinking.”
“It has not changed in the Government. It is my concept. As an individual, I also get a feeling. I am not saying you have to use it first. Hoax can be called off,” Parrikar had said, adding that his counterpart in Pakistan had been repeatedly threatening India with a nuclear strike.
“Manohar Parrikar has been talking out of turn. like his comments after the so-called surgical strikes against Pakistan, after which he had said, that it was because of his sanskars from the RSS which made it possible,” Singh said.