The Hawk

POKHARAN-II, 1998, was a shining moment in Vajpayee’s career. He showed exemplary foresight, clarity and conviction in carrying out the nuclear tests. It enabled India to enhance its atomic weapons capability and laid the foundation for the civil-nuclear deal with the US which put an end to India’s nuclear apartheid

- Raj Chengappa

The Prime Minister’s Office in the extreme corner of Delhi’s South Block is among the most spartan in the country. Apart from a large desk, two nondescript sofa sets crowd the extremes of the room. A portrait of Mahatma Gandhi hangs on one of the walls. Atal Bihari Vajpayee had nothing changed when he moved into the office on March 19, 1998, the day he was sworn in as prime minister for the second time. The very next day, he summoned the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) chief, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and Atomic Energy Commission chairman R. Chidambaram to his office to brief them about the possibility of conducting a nuclear test.

Vajpayee’s decision to move on the nuclear issue so quickly after assuming office had caught many by surprise. But few knew that he had ordered for a test in his first term as prime minister in May 1996, but was forced to pull back when his government fell within 13 days. In 1998, the memory of the cancellation haunted him. He was aware that he headed a fragile coalition again and that the clock was ticking. So he moved fast.