BJP keeps its options open on renegotiation

Bangalore, Sep 12 (UNI) Bharatiya Janata Party, which had slammed the UPA government on its 'mishandling' of the Indo-US nuclear deal, today said it had kept the option of renegotiating the deal open if the party was voted to power in the next Lok Sabha elections.

Replying to the questions, BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said as such, the party was not against the US, but it was disturbing that the Government had not made the 'fine prints' public.

''Our grouse is that the UPA government did not tell the whole truth to the nation. Today's media reports attributing US President George W Bush says that commitment on supply of nuclear fuel was a 'political assurance and not legally binding'. If it is so, then on what basis does this treaty stand?,'' he asked.

Earlier, in his inaugural address, party President Rajnath Singh said BJP's opposition to the nuclear deal was different from that of the Left parties, who opposed the deal as a matter of their policy.

''We are in favour of better relations with the US, along with nuclear and political cooperation. Our objection is limited to only those unbalanced provisions in the deal that may endanger the nuclear sovereignty of the country,'' Mr Singh said.

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