'No Power In World Can Force Us To Bow Down': PM Modi On India's Nuclear Tests In Pokhran

Last Updated:May 11, 2026, 13:05 IST

PM Modi said that the Pokhran nuclear tests showed India’s strong political will despite global pressure and sanctions.

Somnath Amrut Mahotsav: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that no power in the world can force India to bow down, as he recalled the country’s 1998 nuclear tests in Pokhran during Somnath Amrut Mahotsav celebrations, marking 75 years of the reconstructed Somnath Temple.

While addressing the gathering after participating in Vishesh Maha Puja, followed by the Kumbhabhishek and Dhvajarohan ceremonies, PM Modi said that the Pokhran nuclear tests showed India’s strong political will despite global pressure and sanctions.

“On May 11, 1998 – on this very day – India conducted nuclear tests in Pokhran. Many kinds of restrictions were imposed. Even the paths of economic opportunities were blocked. Anyone would have been shaken when powerful nations across the world launched such a massive attack. But we are made of a different soil," the Prime Minister said.

PM Modi noted that India carried out another round of tests on May 13 despite international criticism.

“That showed the world how unwavering India’s political will truly was," PM Modi said, adding, “No power in the world can suppress or force India to bow down."

Somnath Temple Represents India’s Civilisational Freedom

PM Modi further said the reconstruction of the Somnath Temple after Independence symbolised India’s cultural and civilisational confidence.

“Seventy-five years ago on this very day, the restoration of the Somnath Temple was not an ordinary occasion. If India attained independence in 1947, then the consecration of Somnath in 1951 proclaimed the spirit of India’s civilizational freedom," he said.

Referring to repeated attacks on the temple in history, the Prime Minister said invaders failed to understand the strength of India’s faith and culture.

“The invaders considered Somnath to be merely a physical structure and kept attacking it. It was destroyed again and again, and rebuilt every time," he said.

He further said that Somnath Amrut Parv is not just a festival to celebrate the past, it will be India’s inspiration for next 1000 years.

Appeasement Politics Still Going On

PM Modi further traded barbs at the opposition and accused them of doing appeasement politics.

He said that politics had taken place even over the reconstruction of Somnath Temple after Independence.

“After Independence, the Somnath Temple was to be rebuilt, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Rajendra Prasad made great efforts for it. But everyone knows how much opposition they faced from Nehru ji," he said.

He added that despite opposition, Sardar Patel continued with the reconstruction efforts.

PM Modi further said that even today, there are forces in the country that believe in appeasement politics and claimed that the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya too had faced strong opposition.

Somnath Amrut Mahotsav

The Somnath Amrut Mahotsav is being organised to commemorate 75 years since the inauguration of the restored temple by India’s first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, in 1951.

PM Modi performed rituals, including ‘Abhishek’, ‘Dhwaj Pooja’ and ‘Maha Pooja’, at the temple. Flower petals were also showered on the shrine from helicopters during the ceremonies.

The Somnath temple is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas and is a symbol of India’s enduring faith and civilisational heritage.

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