Left, BJP want Parliament ratification of Indo-US deal

New Delhi, Mar 7: The Left and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (Mar 7, 2006) demanded that the Indo-US nuclear deal be placed in Parliament and its ratification obtained, as in the case of the United States where it was mandatory for the deal to be approved by its Congress.

As soon as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh completed his 25-minute suo motu statement on the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement and separation of civilian and military nuclear facilities, the Left and BJP members demanded that the government place on the table of the House, India's nuclear separation plan that was discussed with the US during the recent visit of President George W Bush.

Deputy Leader of the BJP Parliamentary group V K Malhotra asked the government to take Parliament into confidence by making available all the records relating to the deal.

''If the US has to get the approval of its Congress to give effect to the deal, what is wrong with our government taking Parliament into confidence,'' he asked.

CPI member Gurudas Dasgupta insisted that the government should get the ratification of the deal by Parliament as was being done in the United States.

CPI(M) leader Basudeb Acharia objected to the government contention that the separation plan could not be placed on the table of the House because it was still being discussed with the US.

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee brought the issue to a close when he ruled that there was no law making it mandatory for the government to get the ratification of Parliament for such agreements.

''There is no such law in this country,'' he said, adding, ''I cannot impose constitutional obligations which do not exist.'' He, however, agreed to give an opportunity to discuss the Indo-US deal if any member gave a notice to that effect.

UNI