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APJ Abdul Kalam credits Indira Gandhi for Agni-V missile success story : North News - India Today
Way back in 1983 and a year before she was assassinated, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked the nation's top defence scientist APJ Abdul Kalam to build a missile that could reach mainland China.
Nearly three decades later, the outcome was Agni-V and the credit, according to Kalam, goes to the Congress's Iron Lady.
Kalam, who went on to become the President, revealed this to top bureaucrats on Civil Services Day on April 21 - two days after the successful launch of the nuclear-capable Agni-V missile that has a range of 5,000 km and can reach Beijing and Shanghai at the push of a button. He said the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has fulfiled Indira Gandhi's dream of a long-range missile.
Recalling his encounter with the former PM when he was director of Defence Research and Defence Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad, he said: "She came to DRDL to review the integrated guided missile programme that she had sanctioned. When we were presenting the progress of the programme, Indira Gandhi saw the world map at the conference hall. She asked us to stop the presentation and said, 'Kalam, look at the map, look at the distance in the eastern side of the map. When will the laboratory launch a missile which will be capable of reaching that spot?' That spot was 5,000 km from Indian territory."
"Of course, our DRDO scientists have achieved this great target envisioned by Indira ji ," he added.
He then recalled another incident that would become the launching pad of Agni-V and other missiles in the nation's arsenal. He said then Orissa chief minister Biju Patnaik gave the Wheeler Island off the state's coast in the Arabian Sea to the DRDO in 1993, but with a rider. The Orissa strongman told him that he should promise a missile that would reach China.
"To get the island (to launch test missiles), we needed a political decision from Patnaik. The indications were that the island cannot be given to the DRDO because of several reasons. However, an appointment was fixed with the CM. When I reached his office, the file was in front of him. Patnaik said: 'Kalam, I have decided to give all five islands to you (DRDO), but I will sign on the file only when you give me a promise'," he said.
"The chief minister held my hand and said: 'I have an invitation to China. I will visit China only when you promise that you will make a missile that will reach China.' I said, 'Chief minister Sir, definitely we will work on it'," he added.
Kalam revealed in short what diplomacy wouldn't allow: Agni-V was built with the sole intention of targeting China.
He said Indira Gandhi and Patnaik were visionary leaders, but there were farsighted bureaucrats too.
When the armed forces, Kalam said, were critical of the integrated guided missile programme in 1982-83, then cabinet secretary C. R. Krishnaswamy Rao put his weight behind the project and his doggedness received then defence minister R. Venkataraman's approval.
"Today, the production agency for Prithvi, Agni, Akash and Brahmos missiles has a total order valued at over Rs.93 lakh crore. Such is the power of vision of our political and bureaucratic leadership," he added.
Read more at: APJ Abdul Kalam credits Indira Gandhi for Agni-V missile success story : North News - India Today
Way back in 1983 and a year before she was assassinated, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked the nation's top defence scientist APJ Abdul Kalam to build a missile that could reach mainland China.
Nearly three decades later, the outcome was Agni-V and the credit, according to Kalam, goes to the Congress's Iron Lady.
Kalam, who went on to become the President, revealed this to top bureaucrats on Civil Services Day on April 21 - two days after the successful launch of the nuclear-capable Agni-V missile that has a range of 5,000 km and can reach Beijing and Shanghai at the push of a button. He said the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has fulfiled Indira Gandhi's dream of a long-range missile.
Recalling his encounter with the former PM when he was director of Defence Research and Defence Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad, he said: "She came to DRDL to review the integrated guided missile programme that she had sanctioned. When we were presenting the progress of the programme, Indira Gandhi saw the world map at the conference hall. She asked us to stop the presentation and said, 'Kalam, look at the map, look at the distance in the eastern side of the map. When will the laboratory launch a missile which will be capable of reaching that spot?' That spot was 5,000 km from Indian territory."
"Of course, our DRDO scientists have achieved this great target envisioned by Indira ji ," he added.
He then recalled another incident that would become the launching pad of Agni-V and other missiles in the nation's arsenal. He said then Orissa chief minister Biju Patnaik gave the Wheeler Island off the state's coast in the Arabian Sea to the DRDO in 1993, but with a rider. The Orissa strongman told him that he should promise a missile that would reach China.
"To get the island (to launch test missiles), we needed a political decision from Patnaik. The indications were that the island cannot be given to the DRDO because of several reasons. However, an appointment was fixed with the CM. When I reached his office, the file was in front of him. Patnaik said: 'Kalam, I have decided to give all five islands to you (DRDO), but I will sign on the file only when you give me a promise'," he said.
"The chief minister held my hand and said: 'I have an invitation to China. I will visit China only when you promise that you will make a missile that will reach China.' I said, 'Chief minister Sir, definitely we will work on it'," he added.
Kalam revealed in short what diplomacy wouldn't allow: Agni-V was built with the sole intention of targeting China.
He said Indira Gandhi and Patnaik were visionary leaders, but there were farsighted bureaucrats too.
When the armed forces, Kalam said, were critical of the integrated guided missile programme in 1982-83, then cabinet secretary C. R. Krishnaswamy Rao put his weight behind the project and his doggedness received then defence minister R. Venkataraman's approval.
"Today, the production agency for Prithvi, Agni, Akash and Brahmos missiles has a total order valued at over Rs.93 lakh crore. Such is the power of vision of our political and bureaucratic leadership," he added.
Read more at: APJ Abdul Kalam credits Indira Gandhi for Agni-V missile success story : North News - India Today
