The Hindu : National : BJP takes exception to U.S. statement on n-deal

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Wednesday, Jul 23, 2008
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BJP takes exception to U.S. statement on n-deal

Interference in the functioning of the country, says senior leader Jaswant Singh

New Delhi: Taking strong exception to a statement by the U.S. that it will not have any problem in moving forward on the nuclear deal with a minority government in India, the BJP on Tuesday said it was an “interference” in the functioning of the country.

Senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh said he was “surprised” at the remarks made by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher that they did not consider it a moral issue to deal with a minority government. Mr. Boucher’s statement came when the Indian Parliament was discussing and debating the matter, he said.

“It is without any doubt that it is totally an interference in the functioning of the country and its Parliament,” Mr. Singh told Times Now news channel.

Noting that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had assured on the floor of the House that the government would not move ahead on the deal without Parliament’s approval, Mr. Jaswant Singh said it “underscored” the concerns raised by the BJP that the country’s foreign and security policies were “deeply compromised.”

Mr. Boucher on Monday had said in Washington that the Bush administration would have no problem in dealing with a minority government as “minority governments are common around the world.”

“You can’t say, oh, well, we are going to stop dealing with you till the next election or until some new coalition or something. That’s not for us to say,” Mr. Boucher had said. — PTI

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