M.K.Naryanan dismisses Santhanam's Pokhran-II 'failure' remark

New Delhi, Sep.20 (ANI): National Security Adviser M. K. Narayanan on Sunday described the former DRDO scientist K Santhanam's claim on Pokhran-II nuclear tests as "unfortunate" and asserted that India has thermonuclear capabilities.

The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), which comprises a peer group of scientists, had last week come out with the most authoritative statement on the efficacy of the 1998 nuclear tests and no more clarification was required from the Government on the matter, said Narayanan, during an interview to a television channel.

The NSA said that the AEC, an independent Commission and the highest body in such matters, was asked to study the data of the 1998 nuclear tests once again in the wake of the controversy over the efficacy of the hydrogen bomb following the statements of former DRDO scientist K Santhanam.

He informed that eminent scientists like C N R Rao, P Rama Rao and M R Srinivasan were members of the AEC and the doyen of the nuclear programme Raja Ramanna was part the apex nuclear body which went into the test results in 1998.

A very authoritative piece about the nature of the tests written by AEC Chairman Anil Kakodkar and senior scientist S K Sikka was being examined by physicists all over the world, said Narayanan while adding that Mr. Santhanam was not privy to the information on which the test measurements were taken. (ANI)