DELHI: India's successful test firing of its first intercontinental ballistic missile - the Agni-V - has been met with delirium inside the country, but consternation over its borders.
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Indian TV yesterday showed scenes of hundreds of cheering scientists at Wheeler Island, where the missile was launched in the Bay of Bengal, after its successful flight.
At 8.06am, the 20-metre rocket, which has the theoretical capability to carry a nuclear warhead up to 5000 kilometres, was launched, taking 20 minutes to reach its target somewhere in the Indian Ocean near Indonesia.
The Indian Defence Minister, AK. Antony, heaped praise on India's Defence Research Development Organisation, which designed and built the missile.
''The nation stands tall today,'' he said. ''We have joined the elite club of nations. The immaculate success of the Agni-V is a major milestone in the country's missile research and development program.''
India joins the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, Britain, China, Russia and France - as the only countries with intercontinental ballistic missiles. Fast emerging as an economic power, India is keen to play a larger role on the global stage and is campaigning strongly for a permanent seat on the Security Council.
It was recently declared the world's largest importer of arms and has raised its defence budget 17 per cent this year, to more than $38 billion.
As pointed out ad nauseum on Indian news channels, the Agni-V missile - it is named after the Hindu god of fire - has the capability to reach Beijing, from where most of the concern over yesterday's launch came.
A pointed editorial in the Global Times newspaper, owned by the Communist Party's mouthpiece, the People's Daily, said India was still poor and lacked infrastructure. ''But its society is highly supportive of developing nuclear power and the West chooses to overlook India's disregard of nuclear and missile control treaties.''
China said it wanted peace with India, and warned its neighbour against an arms race.
''India should not overestimate its strength. Even if it has missiles that could reach most parts of China, that does not mean it will gain anything from being arrogant during disputes with China.''
