PM ''blackmailing'' nation on talks with IAEA, NSG: BJP

New Delhi, Jun 30 (UNI) Expressing concern over Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assertion to go ahead with the negotiations on the Indo-US nuclear deal with the IAEA and the NSG, the BJP today said the statements is tantamount to ''blackmail'' and said it would oppose the treaty when it comes up before Parliament.

BJP Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, reacting to Dr Singh's statement, said the BJP was opposed to the nuclear deal in its present form as it prevented India from conducting future nuclear tests.

He said it was unfortunate that the UPA and Left parties were using the deal to divert the attention of the nation from the failures of the government in containing the prices of essential commodities and double digit inflation.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister had stated that the government would come before Parliament regarding the outcome of the negotiations on the nuclear deal with the IAEA and the NSG for taking the sense of the House on the operationalisation of the deal.

Mr Naqvi said it would have been better if Dr Singh had stated that he would do everything in his power to bring down the prices of essential commodities and peg down inflation to protect the interests of the common man.

''Instead, he is making nuclear deal a prestige issue,'' the BJP leader remarked.

As far as the BJP was concerned, any deal that did not provide for future nuclear tests was not acceptable to the party and the leadership had stated that the party would renegotiate the Indo-US nuclear deal if voted to power in the Lok Sabha polls, he added.

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