Inaugurating the International Conference "Towards a World Free of Nuclear Weapons" held in Delhi on 9-10 June 2008, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reiterated the Indian official position towards nuclear disarmament, in accordance with the Rajiv Gandhi's Action Plan enunciated at the UN General Assembly exactly 20 years ago. Singh mentioned three important points: nuclear disarmament, the importance of civilian nuclear energy, and the risk of nuclear weapons falling into terrorist hands.

On disarmament, the Indian Prime Minister stressed Rajiv Gandhi's legacy saying that "It symbolized the continuity in our thinking since 1954… The essential features of the Action Plan continue to remain valid even today." India is still "fully committed to nuclear disarmament that is global, universal and non-discriminatory in nature," and opposed to the international nuclear regime. For India, "the only effective form of nuclear disarmament is global nuclear disarmament", nuclear disarmament cannot be "regionalized."

This statement for global nuclear disarmament was supported by some proposals following the Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan's spirit to establish a time-bound framework for the elimination of nuclear weapons, such as the reduction in the salience of nuclear weapons in security doctrines, the adoption of measures by nuclear weapon states to reduce nuclear danger, and the commitment of all weaponized countries to the goal of elimination of nuclear weapons.

All these proposals by Singh were unfortunately, however, very theoretical. The commitment to disarmament in accordance with an old legacy is doubtful because the situation of India has dramatically changed since 1988 with the 1998 tests, not mentioned in Singh's speech. Also, the Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan could have been feasible in 1988, because it was came towards the end of the Cold War and a U-turn was possible. The international context has completely changed since then: there are more nuclear actors on the international scene, and political will is nearly totally absent. In reality, the commitment to disarmament in memory of Rajiv Gandhi only reveals the lack of political will for true disarmament.

Manmohan Singh called also for considering nuclear energy as a solution to India's growing energy needs: "Our energy needs will continue to rise in the foreseeable future, we do not have the luxury of limiting our option of energy sources," declared the Prime Minister. This concern for nuclear energy at a conference on disarmament outlines the current phenomenon of increased reliance on nuclear energy to meet civilian needs, sometimes called the "nuclear renaissance." By suggesting that nuclear energy could greatly contribute to India's energy requirements, Singh reminded everyone of the Indo-US nuclear deal's benefits for India, even if he did not mention the deal itself in his speech.

Still on the subject of energy options, Singh noted that India "wish[ed] to create an international environment in which nuclear technology is used not for destructive purposes but for helping us meet our national development goals and our energy security," underlying an inherent criticism towards the current regime and the current rules. This environment already exists, but does not meet Indian requirements. How can India create a new environment when it is the big exception of the system? Once again, the nuclear deal could have helped to integrate India in this secure environment for accessing nuclear energy for peaceful needs.

The third point raised was the evolution of the nuclear threat, especially the risk that "nuclear weapons may be acquired by terrorists or those driven by extreme ideologies," and the dangerous role that non-state actors can play, "accessing nuclear materials and devices." Singh showed the same concern as 'the Quartet' - Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, Sam Nunn, and William Perry - for these new threats, addressing concerns about the proliferation of nuclear material saying, "We need strengthened non-proliferation commitments such as on denying nuclear material, technology, and equipment to terrorists. Pending global nuclear disarmament, all states must ensure that they do not allow proliferation of sensitive technologies into dangerous hands." However, this statement is extremely vague, arguing for distant goals without specifying anything. The Prime Minister did not mention any concrete plan, for example on the idea of a nuclear fuel bank controlled by the IAEA to limit the production of fissile material that could be diverted into military use; or the signing of additional protocols or comprehensive safeguards agreement with the IAEA that allow greater controls to prevent nuclear material falling into dangerous hands.

Finally, Singh's speech shows that while India is aware of the new threats posed by nuclear weapons, it nevertheless, wishes to put nuclear energy to civilian use. However, regarding nuclear disarmament, nothing has really changed - it is still the same rhetoric. India may agree with the Quartet's plan, but because of a terrible lack of political will it will not do anything to implement effective nuclear disarmament. Margaret Thatcher had said in the early 1980s that nuclear disarmament was a "pie in the sky." The Prime Minister of India, on the 9 June 2008 did not prove it was anything else.