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Monday, Nov 19, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Congress pushing nuke deal: BJP

Staff Reporter

Except the Congress no party has supported the deal in toto: Venkaiah Naidu

“A pity that the AICC meeting did not speak about common man’s problems”

NELLORE: A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi strongly defended that the nuclear agreement would not affect India’s strategic programme at the All-India Congress Committee meeting, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that the Congress had been trying to push through its agenda despite opposition from various quarters.

“Except the Congress no party has supported the deal in toto. The Congress should remember that a large majority of the public opinion is against the deal, if the Parliament reflects the will of the people. Hence the Congress, which has just 150 MPs, should pay heed to the majority in the Parliament, thereby putting an end to undermining India’s nuclear sovereignty,” BJP senior leader M. Venakaiah Naidu told reporters on Sunday.

Coming down on the Congress in particularly the Prime Minister for his reported statement that the nuclear deal would not hurt India’s strategic programmes, he said Mr. Singh, who was a “lame-duck” Prime Minister, had failed to lead the coalition Government on all fronts.

“A party, which heads a coalition Government, should at least convince its allies on any major foreign and domestic policy initiative…” Terming the AICC meeting a ‘sham’, Mr. Naidu wondered as to how the AICC meet had ignored core issues such as terrorism, price rise and naxal issue. “It is a pity that such a gathering of Congress party bigwigs did not speak a word about problems pertaining to the common man at large and how they proposed to go about solving them. The AICC meet is a sham as it was organised only to shower praises on AICC president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi.”

Referring to Karnataka affairs, he stated that 12 conditions, which were put forth by former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda, would never be the basis of an understanding with the Janata Dal (Secular) to lead the coalition Government in Karnataka.

“The power-sharing agreement that was agreed 21 months ago will only be the guiding document for the present coalition Government in the State. And therefore there is no question of BJP yielding to any fresh demand,” he told reporters on Sunday. When asked what prevented the BJP to sign the power-sharing agreement , he said the coalition would take 12 conditions as suggestions. “But these will not form the basis of an understanding with JD (S) to run the coalition.” At the same time the BJP will not hold talks with JD (S) till it sails through floor test, he said.

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