Don't sign Nuclear deal without parliament approval : BJP to PM

New Delhi, July 21 (UNI) Even as the media reports suggested narrowing of the gap on the finalisation of Indo-US Nuclear deal, the BJP today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not to go ahead with the deal without taking into confidence Parliament and top nuclear and space scientists of the country as any such move would tantamount to 'strangling' of Indian nuclear weapons and research capabilities.

Senior BJP leader and former science and technology minister in the NDA government, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, said that if the government were to sign the deal without the US amending the provisions of the Hydes Act, it would mean surrendering India's strategic sovereignty leading to permanent dependency for energy generation. It would also mean India playing a subservient role in foreign affairs, Dr Joshi told newspersons.

He said the way the discussions were proceeding, it would mean total destruction of carefully nurtured nuclear and space technologies and importing large numbers of nuclear reactors from the United States and other Nuclear Suppliers Group. India has the capacity to build its own reactors almost indigenously and the deal would stub all these efforts built over generations. The import of nuclear reactors would not only mean huge outgo of foreign exchange but also job losses and wilful destruction of the huge infrastructure built over the decades, he added.

Mr Joshi said the US had not hidden its intention of bringing India under the provisions of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, CTBT and FMCT which India had deliberately avoided to sign so far. While India, world's responsible nuclear weapons state was sought to be brought under these oppressive provisions, other nuclear countries including Pakistan, Isreal and North-Korea would be free to conduct their programmes jeopardising national security of India, he added.

UNI