NEW DELHI : The Bharatiya Janata Party fielded two former Ministers, Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie, to demand the setting of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to monitor the India-U.S. nuclear deal and criticise the Government's handling of the negotiations.

Initiating the short duration discussion in the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Sinha pointed out that the U.S. would be ready with the law in September. On the other hand, Parliament would reconvene two months later. "By then, the deed would be done," he said.

Both speakers faulted the Government for not seeking parity with nuclear weapon states (NWS) and feared that the deal would spell an end to the country's nuclear weapons programme. Mr. Shourie felt the signs of a climbdown were already visible with the Government agreeing to close down the Cirrus reactor by 2010.

Pointing out that the BJP had opposed the deal "right from the beginning" because "we were never in any doubt about the deleterious impact of the deal since it was mean to curb our nuclear weapons programme," Mr. Sinha feared that it would perpetuate discrimination between India and NWS.

He felt that the basic reason enunciated by the Government for the deal — of achieving energy security — was fundamentally flawed. "How can India have energy security on the basis of imported reactors and fuel? Has any country based its security on uncertain imports?" Besides, the cost of setting up imported reactors would be 25 per cent more than the indigenous ones and over two times costlier than coal-based power plants. He faulted the Government for attempting to deviate from the country's nuclear policy. India was set to agree on a watertight separation plan instead of seeking flexibility on national security considerations as was the case with NWS. India was also set to accept safeguards in perpetuity whereas no NWS had ever accepted any obligation in perpetuity.

Mr. Sinha said atomic scientists and defence analysts were protesting because the Americans had gone back on all the assurances given by the Prime Minister to Parliament and the nation."The final product [as passed by the U.S. Senate and Congress] is going to be far more onerous... "

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