The Hindu : Front Page : ‘BJP stand consistent’

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Friday, Aug 31, 2007
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‘BJP stand consistent’

Neena Vyas

No contradiction, says Advani

NEW DELHI: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani on Thursday asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s considered view on the nuclear deal with the United States remained consistent and unambiguous and his statements on the issue were only intended to clarify that the party’s opposition did not spring from anti-Americanism.

A three-page statement by Mr. Advani was distributed to the press and this stand was made clear at a meeting of the BJP parliamentary party in the morning.

Some admirers of Mr. Advani had sought to project his view as different and even contradicted the party’s view on the deal as expressed through joint statements by party leaders Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie.

Some reports also appeared in a section of the media that Mr. Advani’s views had the blessings of the RSS, which had frowned upon the more strident line in the Sinha-Shourie statements and press conferences.

At the parliamentary party meeting, Mr. Advani clarified that there was no difference between what he said and the statement by Mr. Sinha and Mr. Shourie on August 4.

That statement, Mr. Advani said, was “fully deliberated upon and approved by the senior-most leaders under the guidance and in the presence of [former Prime Minister] Atal Bihari Vajpayee.” The August 4 and subsequent statements “embody the party’s considered view on every aspect of the deal. There is no change in that position.”

Mr. Advani said the provisions of the Hyde Act “militate against India’s sovereignty,” especially with regard to the conduct of foreign policy. They would also “seriously impair our nuclear weapons programme” and “jeopardise our strategic objectives.” He restated the BJP’s initial position that the deal should be re-negotiated.

Sources in the party said the Advani statements made in Hyderabad and later (not the one on Thursday at the parliamentary party) were seen in the party circles as another bid by him to grasp the space of the party’s undisputed leader. However, the clarification on Thursday made it clear that Mr. Advani alone cannot decide the BJP’s policy. That has to be a collective decision.

Soon after the party said in its August 4 statement that the 123 agreement was not acceptable, Mr. Advani met U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman and told him that the party’s objections were mainly to the Hyde Act. He then reportedly repeated this in Hyderabad four days ago. This was interpreted as a subtle message that his position was different from that of the rest of the party.

The BJP on Thursday repeated its first reaction to the deal: there must be parliamentary approval; consensus must be arrived at through a joint parliamentary committee and the Constitution must be amended to make parliamentary approval mandatory for all international/ bilateral treaties or agreements relating to strategic affairs.

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