BJP cautions UPA against going ahead with nuclear deal

New Delhi, Jul 8 (UNI) Asserting that Dr Manmohan Singh-led UPA coalition had been reduced to a minority following withdrawal of support by the Left parties, the BJP today said the government has forfeited its right to enter into any international agreement like Indo-US nuclear deal.

After an hour long meeting of the BJP office bearers convened to review the latest political development, BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad said this government had been reduced to a minority after the 59-member Left withdrew its support today.

Only recently 17-member BSP had withdrawn its support to the UPA government. This being the case, the Prime Minister should first seek the Vote of Confidence before going ahead with any international deal, he said.

He shall first convene an emergency Parliament Session and seek Vote of Confidence because the monsoon session is only scheduled to be held in August, Mr Prasad said.

There were umpteen number of cases when the Prime Ministers in the past, right from V P Singh to H D Deve Gowda to I K Gujral, had sought Vote of Confidence whenever major parties supporting the Government had withdrawn their support.

Recently, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was given only a week's time to prove his majority after the PDP withdrew its support, he said.

The BJP believed that a minority government had either political or moral legitimacy to go ahead with a major international agreement. The issue before the country was not the nuclear deal but whether a government which had failed on all front should be allowed to continue any longer. The UPA had messed up the economy, failed to check skyrocketing price rise, inflation and farmer suicides.

Its track record on dealing with internal security was nothing short of being 'shameful', a statement released after the meeting held at BJP Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani ''residence said.

Mr Prasad said a meeting of the NDA leaders will be held tomorrow to take stock of the latest developments and formulate a strategy in Parliament.

UNI MCN KAS AKJ AS2039