Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said during a Lok Sabha debate that India will never sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, The Times of India reported. She also asserted that they had not stopped "trying to engage with China" to change its stand against India's bid to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group, according to NDTV.

Swaraj was responding to the Opposition's questions about the current status of India's bid to become a member of the 48-member international body. She rejected claims that India had mishandled the membership process. "It is wrong to say we created hype. When we gave our application [in May], we kept it low-key. Yes, we made full effort after that. But China created a procedural hurdle," Swaraj said in Parliament, where the Monsoon Session is underway.

On June 23, at least five countries had blocked India's NSG membership bid in Seoul during a plenary meeting of the group. Ireland, Turkey, Brazil, Austria and New Zealand – and later Switzerland – had joined China in opposing India's attempts to be part of the body, saying it was ineligible because it was not a signatory to the NPT.