The Defence Minister, Mr. Swaran Singh, to-day [June 21, New Delhi] condemned, in a statement before the two Houses of Parliament, the Chinese explosion of hydrogen bomb as “further evidence of China’s callous indifference to the opinion of the rest of the world”. He said the Government viewed this development with grave concern. Mr. Swaran Singh took the occasion to explain India’s nuclear policy. He made it clear that the Government would continue to give its most careful attention to India’s security in the context of China’s nuclear policy. The Defence Minister assured Parliament that “all practicable ways and means of ensuring our security are constantly under examination”. At the same time, he said, India would steadfastly adhere to the policy of developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and added “the effect of this policy on our security is also kept under constant review”. Mr. Swaran Singh said that in the context of China’s hydrogen bomb explosion the question of security of non-nuclear and non-aligned countries acquires a fresh sense of urgency. The subject is under the consideration of the Disarmament Committee at Geneva. Both Congressmen as well as non-Congressmen with the exception of the Communists by and large urged that India also should proceed to make the atom bomb. There were others like the Swatantra leader, Mr. Marisami who urged that the Government should accept the nuclear protection if offered by other countries and for this purpose enter into closer alliance with other countries — in effect criticising the Government’s non-aligned policy. Mr. Swaran Singh in his reply said that this was not an occasion for considering a change of policy. The only significant factor which emerged from the discussion was that the Defence Minister did not categorically rule out the possibility of India going nuclear.
