BJP wants full debate on nuke deal

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday said it would settle for nothing less than a thorough discussion and voting in Parliament on the Indo-US nuke deal, as it accused Prime minister Manmohan Singh of breach of privilege, citing the US statement on the accord.

Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha rejected External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee's statement on the pact in the Lok Sabha as a brazen attempt to mislead the country about the deal's impact on India's nuclear programmes.

"We have earlier described the prime minister's statement as a bundle of white lies. His statement today continues with those untruths," the former external affairs minister said.

Sinha, who read out portions from the US' India-specific Hyde Act, insisted that New Delhi's nuclear and strategic programmes would be impacted by the American law once the deal was operationalised.

"It will prohibit India from carrying out even lab tests. ... It aims to cap, rollback and eliminate India's nuclear weapons programme," he remarked.

The BJP moved a notice of breach of privilege against the prime minister in both Houses over his statement in Parliament on the nuke pact following Washington's assertion that it would be terminated if India conducted a nuclear test.

Sinha alleged that the Indian government's statement on the pact lacked transparency "unlike" those coming from the United States.

He said the nuclear accord would eventually hurt Indo-US ties.

"It will become the biggest cause for spoiling India's relations with the United States. This agreement cannot be implemented. It will remain a dead letter," Sinha said.

Sinha's party colleague Vijay Kumar Malhotra said the opposition, which moved a privilege motion against Singh, had expressed its anguish to speaker Somnath Chatterjee for not allowing its leaders to speak and instead permit Mukherjee to give a statement.

The BJP stepped up its attack on the prime minister in the wake of US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack's remarks about the fate of the 123 agreement in the event of a nuclear test by India.

"How is it that a statement by the prime minister of India is contradicted by a flunkey of the US State Department? We, therefore, demand a thorough discussion on the agreement in Parliament with voting," Sinha said.

He insisted that it would be untenable for the Left to stand beside the government on the issue. "Let's see what they decide in their politburo."

Referring to Mukherjee's statement, he said voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing could never become a restraint as suggested by the minister.