Lok Sabha elections likely early next year, predicts Advani

Kochi, Sep 2 (UNI) Accusing the Manmohan Singh government of ''compromising India's national security'' through the ''flawed 123 Agreement'' on civilian nuclear cooperation with the US, veteran BJP leader L K Advani today claimed that the ruling UPA government will not last its full term and general elections were likely early next year.

Addressing a press conference here, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said his party was getting into the election mode in view of the ''bizarre tug-of-war between Congress and the Communists'' over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Stating that certain events during the last two to three weeks had made it certain that the present ruling alliance would not last its full term till 2009, Mr Advani said elections were likely to take place anytime before that, perhaps in the earlier part of 2008.

Asserting that early elections would lead people to conclude that neither the Congress nor the Communists could be trusted to provide a stable and strong government, Mr Advani said the NDA expected to ''bounce back to power'' in the next elections.

Talking of the '123 Agreement', he said the BJP and the NDA were opposed to the agreement in its present form as it placed curbs on India's strategic capabilities.

''In case of any further nuclear tests by India, the 123 Agreement provides for a return of any nuclear fuel, equipment or reactors supplied by the United States. This poses curbs on our strategic capabilities and for this reason the agreement is not acceptable to us.'' Stating that successive governments in the past had refused to sign the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) for this reason, Mr Advani said the Manmohan Singh government had tacitly agreed to NPT through the '123 Agreement' with the US.

Criticising the UPA Government for refusing to set up a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) in view of the opposition to the '123 Agreement', Mr Advani said this was a sign of government's arrogance and its lack of faith in the principle of national consensus on vital foreign and defence policy issues.

Terming as ''unacceptable'' the proposed Congress-Left joint committee to resolve their differences on the agreement', Mr Advani said this was an issue concerning not only the Congress and the Communists but the entire nation.

''They cannot treat it like a private matter. This is a matter in which the entire Parliament is concerned,'' he added.

The Opposition leader also said the demand for community-based reservations was against the Constitution and accused the UPA of raking up the issue for ''vote bank politics''.

Stating that the BJP would give its response to the Sachar Committee report in Parliament, Mr Advani charged the Congress with being concerned only ''minority votes and not minority welfare''.

Mr Advani later left for Thrissur to attend a function marking the release of the biography of the late Swami Ranganathananda, the former Supreme Head of the Ramakrishna Mission.

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