Debate in Par on Indo-US nuke deal: BJP

Agartala (Tripura), Aug 11: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded a debate in Parliament on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Party leaders, who met at the residence of former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, decided to rake up the issue during the monsoon session of Parliament.

"We will ask for a discussion on it and Parliament's approval should be taken. Only after that a decision should be taken. It is not right on the part of the Prime Minister to say that the deal cannot be reconsidered," said Vijay Kumar Malhotra, party spokesperson.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is expected to make a statement on the deal in Parliament on Monday.

The two major Left parties, which provide crucial outside support to the Central coalition government headed by Dr. Singh's Congress party have also rejected the deal, and said it is tantamount to compromising the country's sovereignty.

In Tripura, protesters staged a peaceful march and said that the provisions of the agreement do not protect India's interest.

"The deal that has come now says that for internal matters approval will have to be taken. America will intervene in our affairs and that means our foreign policy, our sovereignty will be disturbed. We will not allow this to happen," said Badal Choudhury, the State's Finance Minister.

The BJP and the Left said the UPA has failed to take into account its concerns.

The agreement, when finally approved by the U.S. Congress, will end India's global nuclear isolation and allow it to buy nuclear fuel and equipment from the United States and eventually other nations to help meet its soaring energy needs.

Details of a bilateral pact that forms a crucial element of the deal, were disclosed last Friday.

Ever since the deal was agreed to in principle two years ago, its opponents in India have charged the government of compromising on its nuclear weapons program, mortgaging its right to conduct nuclear tests, and accepting stringent American conditions on civilian nuclear cooperation.

However, after the pact was finalized last month, top government officials said all Indian concerns had been addressed satisfactorily and nuclear scientists and analysts largely seemed to agree with the contents of the text after it was made public.

ANI
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