Monday, February 27 2006 17:32 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: BJP President Rajnath Singh today (Feb 27 2006) shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to raise with US President George Bush issues on national and energy security and cautioning against any compromise on Jammu and Kashmir and the country's nuclear sovereignty.

Alleging that the agenda of the visit has been "clouded in unnecessary secrecy", he said, "the Government has not cared to keep the principal Opposition party and the NDA informed. Since national interests demand that foreign policy be bi-partisan, we consider this lack of transparency a major lapse of the Government."

However, unlike the Left parties, the BJP Chief welcomed the visit beginning March one and said "we believe it provides an opportunity for US policy makers to understand the importance of India in the world and appreciate our concerns.

"No Indo-US understanding on nuclear matters will be acceptable unless they factor the dynamics of a credible and effective nuclear deterrence as determined by us and preserves India's status as an independent nuclear power."

Expressing concern over suggestions that the US could play a mediatory role in resolving India's conflict with Pakistan over Jammu and Kashmir, Singh reminded the Prime Minister that the "national consensus was clearly against any third-party mediation and the redrawing of national boundaries."