Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday invoked the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests to underline that no world power can pressure India into submission, as he attended an event marking 75 years of the restored Somnath temple’s inauguration in Gujarat.
Modi performed the “Mahapuja” and “Kumbhabhishek” — elaborate worship rituals — and watched a flypast by the Indian Air Force’s Suryakiran aerobatic team, widely seen as a reaffirmation of Hindutva-infused cultural nationalism.
The grand event came a day after Modi, while addressing a BJP rally in Hyderabad, urged citizens to embrace austerity measures such as work from home to save fuel and desist from buying gold for a year to save foreign exchange to cushion the economic fallout of the West Asia conflict.
His speech at the event on Monday seemed to be aimed at underlining his strong leadership despite the global headwinds.
“While India attained Independence in 1947, the Pran Pratishtha of Somnath in 1951 was a proclamation of that freedom in spirit,” Modi said, addressing a gathering. “I am seeing here that the indestructible form of India, which could not be erased by centuries of vicious attempts, could not be defeated,” he asserted.
Modi underscored the significance of May 11, noting that the date marks both the temple’s consecration and India’s 1998 nuclear tests under then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
This marked Modi’s second visit to the temple town this year. In January, he had led high-profile commemorations of 1,000 years since Mahmud of Ghazni’s invasion of Somnath, a move seen as reinforcing his Hindu revivalist narrative.
A day earlier, addressing rallies in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, Modi hailed the BJP’s recent electoral gains — particularly in Bengal, long dubbed its “last frontier” — and launched a sharp attack on the Congress, branding it the “Muslim League–Maoist Congress”.
Modi said the nuclear tests showcased India’s scientific prowess and resolve to the world. “Our scientists demonstrated India’s capabilities and potential,” he said, adding that the tests sent shockwaves globally and drew sharp international backlash.
“The world reacted with anger… major powers moved to suppress India and sanctions were imposed,” he said. “Anyone else might have faltered under such pressure, but we are built differently.”
Highlighting India’s defiance, Modi noted that the country went ahead with two more tests on May 13, 1998, calling it a reflection of “unwavering political will”.
“India faced immense global pressure, yet under Atalji’s leadership, the government showed that the nation comes first. No power on earth can make India bow,” he said.
Linking the message back to the temple, Modi added that Somnath stood as a reminder that no nation could remain strong unless it remained rooted in its civilisational heritage.