NEW DELHI: India is not facing any pressure from abroad to cap its missile program and has no intention of slowing down the program Prime Minister Narasimha Rao asserted in the Rajya Sabha last week “I have given absolutely no assurance to the US in this regard” he told agitated members who quoted reports that the government was going slow on the Agni missile project.
Minister of State for Defense Mallikarjun said that India had the capability to counter the threat posed by Pakistani missiles thanks to the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). However he also said that the Agni test firing had been a “technology demonstration only” and that it had yet to be decided if it was to be converted into a missile
In reply to a question raised by K.R.Malkani (BJP) Mallikarjun said that the surface-to-surface missile Prithyi and the short range surface-toair missile Trishul were expected to be inducted into the defense forces during 1994-95 and 1995-96 respectively Development work on the two other missiles Akash and Nag was expected to be completed during 199596 after which both would enter users trials production and induction phases.
The issue generated a lot of heat in the Upper House with members asking why the leader of the Agni team (Dr.A.PJ.Abdul Kalra) had been transferred and whether the issue of deployment of missiles had come up during the Prime Ministers meeting with the US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talboit.
The Prime Minister denied American media reports and said that” “absolutely no assurance had been given on this subject” lo Talbot. “We discussed many matters ultimately both of us agreed that there is no pressure and that there should be no pressure.”
Article extracted from this publication >> May 6, 1994
