'Take Parliament, Oppn to confidence on nuke deal'

New Delhi, June 25: BJP President Rajnath Singh today demanded that the Centre take both Parliament and Opposition parties into confidence before implementing any conclusive decision on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

In his address at the inaugural session of the two-day National Executive, Mr Singh said after the UPA came to power there was a complete reversal of diplomatic successes initiated by Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Experts were apprehensive about Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement to Parliament and the provisions of Hyde Act passed by the US Congress on Indo-US nuclear deal.

Former Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar had said India had the capacity to increase its uranium reserves through thorium refinement and the country could become self-reliant to a great extent.

''It is imperative that the deal should not compromise India's nuclear sovereignty at any cost,'' Mr Singh said.

India was virtually surrounded by extremist and terrorist forces such as Maoists in Nepal, ULFA and ISI supported groups in Pakistan and Bangladesh and LTTE in Sri Lanka, he said.

With China, India's diplomatic failure was a matter of concern.

The government turned deaf ears to the claims made by Chinese Ambassador claiming entire Arunachal Pradesh as his country's territory. This was followed by denying visa to the Indian officials by Chinese authorities and yet Dr Manmohan Singh was proclaiming China as one of 'our great neighbours', he said.

UNI