Monday, December 27 2004 20:31 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Congress today (Dec 27, 2004) termed former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's disclosure that his predecessor P V Narasimha Rao had initiated the process of making India a nuclear power as his own view.

"This is Vajpayee's own view. The Congress, whenever in power, has made efforts for all round development of the country and initiation of peace process," party spokesperson Girija Vyas told reporters in New Delhi.

To a specific query about Vajpayee referring to a "paper chit" given to him by Rao to continue working towards making India a nuclear power, she said the objective was achieved in 1974 when India conducted the first nuclear test under the Prime Ministership of Indira Gandhi.

Vyas declined to say anything on why the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leader was now giving credit to Rao while he was earlier claiming that it was the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) Government, which had conducted the Pokhran II.