Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh having a word with CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury outside the Parliament on Thursday. — Photo: PTI

New Delhi: The Left parties have welcomed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assurances in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday on the India-United States nuclear deal, but the Opposition BJP said the statement did not fully address concerns over the deal's future.

The Left parties said the Prime Minister's assurances could be accepted as the ``sense of the House'' on the issue.

``Let us assume it as the sense of the House resolution,'' CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury suggested in the Rajya Sabha after Dr. Singh completed his hour-long reply to the seven-hour debate on the nuclear deal.

Mr. Yechury said the Prime Minister held out assurances on ``many of the issues raised and therefore his reply could be accepted as the ``sense of the House,'' which the Left parties had been demanding.

"Concerns addressed"

CPI secretary D. Raja said Dr. Singh tried to respond to all the issues raised by the Left parties as well as by senior nuclear scientists. ``Since the Prime Minister has not differed on concerns expressed by us, his assurances to the Rajya Sabha can be considered as the `sense of the House','' he said.

In contrast, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman V.K. Malhotra expressed dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister's statement saying he should have instead allowed a ``sense of House'' resolution on the pact.

``Singh's statement ... did not thoroughly address our interests regarding the future of our nuclear reactors and deterrent capabilities, once the deal is through,'' he said.

The credibility factor

Mr. Malhotra, whose party and its NDA allies had sought President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's intervention over their demands for a `sense of the House' resolution, insisted that such a move by the Government could have lent more credibility to Dr. Singh's statement.

``It would have been better if there was a `sense of the House' resolution on the issue or else the Prime Minister should have presented his statement in the form of a resolution,'' he said.

Many issues not addressed

Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said the Prime Minister did not touch on many of the issues raised by him such as U.S. opposition to Russia supplying fuel to the Tarapore nuclear reactor and the fast breeder programme not coming under the safeguards agreement. — PTI

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