Govt not to budge on Indo-US Nuclear Pact

New Delhi, Aug 3: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to make a suo motu statement in Parliament on the Indo-US Nuclear Pact next to next week to allay all apprehensions about the deal.

Or there will be a short-duration discussion to be followed by a comprehensive reply by the Government over the issue, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said here today.

He said a discussion over the Nuclear Treaty was not possible next week as there were only three working days. ''We will try to evolve a mechanism if we could have a discussion. But the possibility is very little,'' he said.

As of now, August 10 and 11 would be absorbed in the discussion on the farmers issue and other legislative business.

Mr Dasmunsi, however, made it clear to both the Left parties and the BJP that the Government would not accept any resolution opposing the nuclear deal. At least it will not be a party to any resolution on the pact, he added.

He said they had absolute confidence in the Prime Minister and would go by what he had assured in Parliament in April. There was no question that the government would come under any pressure, he added.

The Left parties and the BJP, are opposed to the Nuclear Pact, although for different reasons. While the Left was totally against any nuclear pact with the US, the BJP was opposing it on the ground that it was against national interests since several provisions of the pact had been changed.

The BJP has announced that it would support any resolution brought forward by the Left parties to oppose the deal, showing unanimity over the issue.

UNI

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