Rajnath SinghPTI
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya was the first to pitch the idea that India should have a credible nuclear deterrent and because of that deterrent, the Indian Army engages with China as an equal force, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday.
Praising the philosophy and ideas of Pandit Upadhyaya, Mr. Singh said that apart from various social issues, he had also thought deeply about the defence of the nation.
He believed that the country should be capable of self-defence.
“When China conducted the first nuclear test in 1964, Deendayal ji was in favour of India too carrying out a nuclear test,” said Mr. Singh, who added that following the vision of Pandit Upadhyaya, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee carried out five nuclear tests in Rajasthan in 1998.