The Hindu : National : We’ll renegotiate deal if NDA comes to power: Advani

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We’ll renegotiate deal if NDA comes to power: Advani

Vinay Kumar

123 agreement pushes India into non-proliferation regime: BJP leader
“Deeply adverse and detrimental to India’s
long-term interests”

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party declared in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that if the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power it would “renegotiate” the India-U.S. civilian nuclear deal and delete the provisions adverse and detrimental to India’s interests.

Leading the Opposition attack in the Lok Sabha during a marathon debate on the nuclear deal, Leader of the Opposition L. K. Advani said the 123 agreement was “unacceptable” to the BJP on several counts.

Citing the reasons, he said it pushed India into the non-proliferation regime, made the country a junior partner of the U.S. in the strategic relationship. Also, it was an infringement on the nation’s sovereignty.

“The 123 agreement, as it stands, is unacceptable to the nation because it is deeply detrimental to India’s vital and long-term interests,” Mr. Advani said in his 45-minute speech.

Making a scathing criticism of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Mr. Advani said the nuclear deal took away India’s right to conduct further tests. He was apprehensive that it would throw open India’s reactors even to American inspectors.

Manmohan refutes charges

Intervening, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rejected the Opposition charges, saying there was nothing in the 123 agreement that prevented India from conducting a nuclear test.

Mr. Advani said when it was obvious that there was no broad national consensus to go ahead with the deal, why he did not renegotiate the deal to secure broad consensual support in Parliament, which he himself had said was sovereign. He was quoting Dr. Singh’s remarks at a press conference on July 20, 2005 in Washington.

Making a number of references to the former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee during whose regime Pokhran I and Pokhran II were conducted in 1974 and 1998 respectively, Mr. Advani sought to drive home his point that the deal was not in the interest of India. “But Dr. Singh will ensure through this deal that there will be no Pokhran III,” he added.

Both Pokhran I and Pokhran II invited condemnation and U.S. sanctions but the 123 agreement and the Hyde Act make it clear that there would be punitive action if another test was conducted. “Which self-respecting and sovereign country can agree to invite a likely punitive action against itself in a bilateral agreement signed by it?” he asked.

Quoting Section 106 of the Hyde Act, Mr. Advani said that it banned testing by India. “It also specifies the consequent punitive actions that might follow, including the U.S.’ right to take back nuclear reactors and other material sold. The 123 agreement upholds the applicability of national laws to govern its implementation,” he said.

Mr. Advani also described the death of Homi Bhabha, architect of the country’s nuclear programme, in an air crash in Europe as a “mystery.” Bhabha announced in 1964 that India could detonate a nuclear bomb within 18 months if a decision on development of nuclear weapons was taken by the government, he said.

Moscow visit

Referring to Dr. Singh’s recent visit to Moscow, Mr. Advani quoted at length from an editorial in The Hindu, which said the Indian side backed out at the last minute from an inter-governmental agreement. He said the Editor-in-Chief of T he Hindu, N. Ram, was in the media delegation that accompanied the Prime Minister.

“The Hindu is a well known, respected newspaper and the editorial quoted Russian official sources. I urge the government to come clean on this matter. What was the proposal? What transpired and why we backed out,” he asked.

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