The Hindu : New Delhi News : “Centre not to pursue n-deal”

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“Centre not to pursue n-deal”

New Delhi: The government has “privately” conveyed to its Left allies that it will not be pursuing the nuclear deal with the United States, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani claimed on Friday.

“Today when I was coming to this meeting, a colleague of mine phoned me that he had met so and so from the Left who conveyed to him that privately the government has told them they are not pursuing it,” he said.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha was addressing the India Today conclave here.

Mr. Advani said his party was not opposed to having a “strategic friendship” with the U.S., but made it clear that it was opposed to the deal because it was a “treaty between unequals.” He claimed that India would not be able to conduct nuclear tests after signing the deal.

“We are opposed to any agreement which says Indira Gandhi may have done Pokhran I, Atal Bihari Vajpayee may have done Pokhran II, but hereafter no government must do Pokhran III, this we cannot accept. If this is the price to be paid in the name of nuclear energy, our party is not in favour,” he said.

Unacceptable

Asserting that the BJP was in favour of a strategic partnership with the U.S., he said, “by and large this particular deal which is signed now is a treaty between unequals. This unequal treaty is not acceptable to us.” — PTI

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