Friday, August 18 2006 10:58 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assurances on the Indo-US nuclear deal in Rajya Sabha yesterday (Aug 17, 2006) was welcomed by Left parties, the agreement's staunch critics, and eminent nuclear scientists but main opposition BJP said they did not fully address concerns over the deal's future.

The Left parties said the Prime Minister's assurances could be accepted as the sense of the House on the issue.

"Let us assume it as the sense of the House resolution," CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury mooted after Singh completed his hour-long reply to the seven-hour debate on the nuclear deal.

Yechury said the Prime Minister has held out assurances on many of the issues raised and therefore his reply to the short duration discussion on the nuclear deal be accepted as the sense of the house, which the Left parties have been demanding.

"I would like to suggest that at present let us accept these assurances by the Prime Minister as the 'sense of the House'," Yechury said in Rajya Sabha after Singh's reply.

CPI National Secretary D Raja said Singh had tried to respond to all issues raised by the Left parties as well as by senior nuclear scientists.

"Since the Prime Minister has not differed on concerns expressed by us, his assurances to Rajya Sabha can be considered as the sense of the house," he said.



In contrast, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman V K Malhotra expressed dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister's statement saying he should have instead allowed a sense-of-house resolution on the pact.

"Singh's statement did not thoroughly address our interests regarding thr future of our nuclear reactors anddeterrent capabilities, once the deal is through," he said.