New Delhi, April 6. (PTI): In a renewed appeal for global disarmament, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said if all nuclear nations agreed to destroy their arsenal, India was also prepared to do so.

 "India has always stood for global nuclear disarmament, but we have taken certain steps in self-defence. We do not want nuclear weapons to proliferate," Vajpayee said while inaugurating the year-long celebrations of the 2600th birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira here.

 "If other countries decide to destroy their nuclear arsenals, we are also prepared to do so," he said, adding that Mahavira's preachings of non-violence assumed more relevance today.

 (PTI photo shows Vajpayee inaugurating the anniversary celebrations of Mahavira by lighting a lamp.)

 "There is no other way but the path of non-violence to save the world in this nuclear age. Mahavira had taught the lesson of non-violence not because he was a coward, but because he was the bravest. That is why his teachings are more significant in today's context," Vajpayee said.

 Asking the people to imagine the state of affairs 2600 years ago when "denigration" of women was the order of the day, the Prime Minister said Mahavira fought for emancipation of women at those times.

 His preachings regarding acceptance of all faiths and philosophies were also relevant today, he said, adding "we are firm believers of secularism."