What the above shows is that India’s nuclear weapons posture, after the country went officially nuclear in 1998, underwent changes during the Vajpayee regime itself. If after 11 years, Vajpayee’s party is seeking a further review, it is not surprising. Criticisms of the BJP manifesto centre on the fear that India will forgo the principle of no first use (NFU). However the NFU posture of India’s nuclear doctrine should be reviewed because no nuclear-weapon power in the world today, including China, adheres to this principle. In its latest biannual defence white paper (2013), China omitted for the first time a promise never to use its own nuclear weapons first. China had already asserted previously that its NFU would not apply against countries that are in possession of Chinese territory. That means that China’s NFU does not apply to India, as China claims lands in Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh. That leaves Pakistan, India’s other major adversary. But Pakistan too does not adhere to NFU. Despite this, Modi, following adverse global reactions, has clarified that he will stick to India’s NFU policy. He recently told the press that “No first use was
a great initiative of Atal Bihari Vajpayee – there is no compromise on that. We are very clear. No first use is a reflection of our cultural inheritance.”