The Hindu : New Delhi News : Congress assails BJP for false campaign

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Wednesday, Dec 19, 2007
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New Delhi

Congress assails BJP for false campaign

Kanwar Yogendra

Not even a reference of banning detonation in the deal

SHIMLA: The Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma on Tuesday claimed that the BJP led by the Leader of the Opposition, L.K. Advani, was running a false campaign regarding the nuclear deal and blaming the UPA government for a sell-out of national interests.

Mr. Advani was having selective amnesia and propagating that India would lose the right for any kind of nuclear explosions, which was totally incorrect, he said while addressing a press conference here. There was not even a reference of banning detonation in the agreement, he categorically said.

The agreement clearly said that India had retained the option for nuclear weaponisation including detonation of nuclear devices, he said while ascertaining that it was a conscious decision taken after an involvement of senior diplomats and atomic energy specialists.

But it is the painstaking efforts from the days of Homi Jahangir Bhabha and Jawaharlal Nehru, the architects of modern India, that our country was striving to get a nuclear status and had proved its intentions during Pokhran-I, way back in 1974.

Calling Congress no less nationalist, patriotic and committed than BJP he said, it is an agreement between two sovereign nations and Indias return to the global mainstream. It is a chance to end the nuclear apartheid, he added.

He attacked Mr. Advani for misleading the voters of Himachal. The BJP leader should have the courage to retract the false proclamations and accept the truth, said the Minister.

While blaming the Left on the deal, he said the government had always replied them and they were taken into confidence.

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