Kakodkar ignoring facts on N-tests, says Santhanam

K Santhanam, a retired DRDO scientist, today accused former AEC chief Anil Kakodkar of "ignoring facts" about the yield of the nuclear tests done at Pokhran in May 1998, calling him "a liar" motivated by institutional loyalties.




Kakodkar had said yesterday that DRDO scientists had provided only "logistic support" to the nuclear test and that it would not be correct to assume Santhanam knew everything, as information was given only on a need-to-know basis.

"There are several inaccuracies in his (Kakodkar's) statement. The DRDO was a major partner in the 1998 tests and not what Kakodkar has claimed...That we only provided logistical support. That is very far away from truth," Santhanam said.

"He (Kakodkar) is motivated by institutional loyalties," he said when asked about the former AEC chief's assertion that the nuclear tests were a success and had yielded more than 45 kilo tons.

"We (DRDO scientists) were there as those responsible for the explosive trigger and measuring chain reaction in the core. We were responsible for full-fledged high-end explosive development and production without which the atom bomb is naked," Santhanam, a key scientist involved in the 1998 nuclear tests, said.