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Monday, Nov 05, 2007
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BJP to discuss strategy on nuclear deal

Neena Vyas

Sinha scheduled to meet Mulford on Monday
Biggest obstacle is sentence relating to “[U.S.] domestic law”

NEW DELHI: Before the start of the winter session of Parliament the Bharatiya Janata Party’s top leadership is expected to sit together to discuss the strategy on the India-United States nuclear deal in the light of its discussions with United States Ambassador David Mulford.

The former External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, told The Hindu on Sunday that he was scheduled to meet Mr. Mulford on Monday. Mr. Sinha has been out of the country for a few weeks.

Mr. Mulford met BJP president Rajnath Singh, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani and the former National Security Adviser, Brajesh Mishra, in what was seen as an attempt to enlist the BJP’s support for the deal that is seeing a standoff between the government and the supporting Left parties.

“Concerns remain”

Mr. Sinha said categorically — as had Mr. Singh earlier — that so far there was no “re-thinking” in the party. “Our concerns remain the same as we articulated after the deal became a public document. We do not want any deal that would adversely impact India’s nuclear weaponisation programme; affect our capability to build an effective credible nuclear deterrence; or prevent further testing of nuclear weapons.”

Mr. Sinha said that so far nothing new had emerged that would make the party change its stand.

Perhaps, the biggest obstacle for it was the sentence in the nuclear deal related to “[U.S.] domestic law” being applicable. For it was this law, the Hyde Act, that made it clear that India would not be allowed to keep the deal and test nuclear weapons in the future.

The BJP, he said, was not convinced by the government’s assurances that the strategic programme would remain unaffected by the deal. The fact was that the domestically mined uranium would also be tracked and its use reported to the U.S. President.

As for the Vajpayee government’s offer of a “unilateral moratorium” on further testing made after Pokhran II in 1998, Mr. Sinha said: “That was voluntary. We cannot accept this as a condition set by the U.S.”

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