'India's sovereignty compromised with US N-deal'

Kolkata, Aug 16: Senior BJP leader and former union minister Murli Manohar Joshi today charged the UPA government with surrendering India's nuclear energy capability to the US by signing the civil nuclear pact with the country.

"In the event of US Senate and both houses of Parliament passing the bill in accordance with the July 18 Civil Nuclear Pact, India's fast breed nuclear reactor programme would come under US scanner which is tantanmount to compromising with national sovereignty apart from setting off the country's dependancy on nuclear energy," Dr Joshi said.

Addressing newsmen at the Kolkata Press Club,Dr Joshi said keeping the aspect of national security in mind the BJP had demanded a thorough discussion on the deal in both houses of Parliament from tomorrow despite an assurance by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that no compromise was made in the country's independent nuclear capability,particularly in the energy sector.

Claiminig that the deal would severely undermine India's nuclear weapon capability, Dr Joshi apprehended that India's strategic nuclear programme would subsequently be capped by the US and prohibit further test even for scientific purposes.

"The deal also prohibits India from having the minimum nuclear deterent capability in case of any foreign nuclear aggression," the former Human Resourcers Development minister and physicist, observed.

Referring to the stand of the CPI(M)-led Left parties both in and outside Parliament, Dr Joshi said instead of following a 'double standard' they should come out with a clear cut policy. Moreover, he said, the prime minister must explain to the nation why the government was accepting the deal with such bindings.

Also criticising the Pathak Committee report for giving a clean chit to the Congress in terms of the Iraqi oil deal,the senior BJP leader sought an explanation from the government "when the Volcker Committe has found enough evidence of its direct involvement in the multi-million dollars deal". He also demanded that the Volcker Committee report be placed immediaely before the august house.

On Mr Natwar Singh's comment that Congress President Sonia Gandhi was aware of the oil deal,Dr Joshi reiterated his party's demand for a discussion in both houses of Parliament to remove the needle of suspicion from Mrs Gandhi.

Asked about the recent comment of party president Rajnath Singh that India should declare war on Pakistan and Bangladesh for sheltering terrorists and raging a proxy war,Dr Joshi said he was not aware of any such remark.

Dr Joshi arrived here this morning to participate in a panel discussion on Mr Justice Manoj Kumar Mukherjee Commission report on the mysterious disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose after June 1945.

UNI

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