Come clean on 123 agreemnt: CPI to govt

New Delhi, Aug 16 (UNI) The CPI today asked the UPA government to condemn the US Statement Department assertion that the 123 agreement was to be terminated in case New Delhi went for a nuclear test on the plea that its mere saying that the clause is not applicable would not do.

''There seems an unwritten understanding or may be certain things are not openly written in the Agreement,'' said CPI Floor leader in the Lok Sabha, Gurudas Dasgupta, in a strong protest against what he termed as ''contradictory'' statement of the External Affairs Minsiter Pranab Mukherjee.

Addressing a press conference, the CPI leader asked the government to clear the mist over India's sovereign right to undertake a future nuclear test, while coming down heavily on US for its assertion that nuclear test by India would kill the 123 agreement.

''We want to know whether the Prime Minister is not revealing the entire truth or the US government is trying to misinterpret the whole agreement,'' said Mr Dasgupta.

Senior party leaders in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha -- S Sudhakar Reddy, Ajoy Chakerverty and D Raja, also took strong view of Mr Mukherjee's statement which was not released to the MPs.

The CPI leaders said this is against the rules and procedures of Parliament.

Mr Dasgupta said the Left MPs staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha to lodge their protest against the government choosing to release the statement to the press directly, ignoring the MPs.

''The Table Office in Parliament, when contacted by us, simply said they did not have the copy of Mr Mukherjee's statement.'' ''India has the sovereign right to test and would do so if it is necessary in national interest. The only restraint is our voluntary unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing, declared by the previous government and being continued by the successive government," the statement said.

The CPI leaders said as there is great contradiction in the US representative's and Mr Mukherjee's statement, the government would have to come out clean.

''We do not understand how the government has claimed that there is no such clause in the Agreement which does not bar it from conducting the nuclear testing,'' Mr Reddy said, adding even its claim that the Hyde Act applied only in the US, stood exposed.

Mr Reddy said it is a common knowledge that the US government has to follow the Hyde Act on all its international agreements.

''So the agreement, signed or not, leaves nobody in doubt that the US can implement the agreement unilaterally.'' UNI