Nuke deal good for India; 23 top personalities tell MPs

New Delhi, Nov 14 (UNI) Days before Parliament is to debate the Indo-US nuclear deal, several top scientists, former Defence Chiefs and top bureaucrats today appealed to Members of Parliament to view the agereement as an instrument for making India stronger and not sonmething which would adversely affect the nation's sovereignty.

Seeking to dismiss any apprehensions that the deal would cap India's nuclear programme and make it subservient to others, 23 personalities have, in a letter to MPs, said the agreement should be viewed as an instrument for making India a stronger power, confident of itself and of the respect of others.

They called for a ''dispassionate'' examination of the two main charges, the signatories said that even under the NPT, a State could opt out and conduct a test if it felt that it was vital to its security provided it was prepared to face the consequences.

MORE UNI