From global pressure to ‘Operation Shakti’: PM Modi revisits India’s Pokhran moment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday invoked one of India’s defining strategic moments, the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests, to mark the country’s rise as a confident global power under former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s leadership.

Addressing the Somnath Amrut Mahotsav celebrations in Gujarat, the Prime Minister said May 11 marked the anniversary of the day India stunned the world by conducting nuclear tests in Rajasthan’s Pokhran despite intense international pressure and global scrutiny.

“On May 11th, the first three nuclear tests were conducted. Our scientists, the champions of India, showcased India's capabilities to the entire world,” PM Modi said during his speech.


The BJP supremo recalled how many countries had questioned India’s decision to go nuclear and attempted to isolate the country diplomatically and economically after the tests.

“TIt sent shockwaves across the globe. Various sanctions were imposed...But on May 13th, two more nuclear tests were conducted. That demonstrated to the world just how unwavering India's political will truly is,” he said.


“At that time, the entire world's pressure was on India. Yet, under the leadership of Atal-ji, the BJP government demonstrated that for us, the Nation comes first. No power on earth can make India bow down; no power can force it to yield to pressure,” he added.

The Prime Minister further highlighted that the nuclear mission was named “Operation Shakti”, calling it symbolic of India’s growing self-belief and strategic strength at the time.

The Pokhran-II tests, carried out on May 11 and 13 in 1998, marked India’s formal entry into the league of nuclear-armed states and triggered global sanctions against the country. However, the tests also became a turning point in India’s strategic and geopolitical positioning, eventually paving the way for greater international engagement in the years that followed.

Linking the anniversary to themes of national pride and resilience, PM Modi praised Indian scientists for carrying out the operation in secrecy and successfully demonstrating the country’s technological and defence capabilities to the world.