Sanjay Singh

New Delhi: The BJP on Monday sought to make it clear that it had not changed its position on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Incidentally, the party chose to clarify its position on a day when former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger met Leader of Opposition L K Advani and American envoy in New Delhi David Mulford met BJP president Rajnath Singh to discuss the issue.

Senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu said, “Let me make it categorically clear that the nuclear deal in its present form is not acceptable to us. We are not anti-America. We want good relations with them. But the government here has bungled at every stage. It did not take Parliament, or even its own allies into confidence. It consulted us only after the marriage (deal) had taken place. After marriage only divorce could take place. We will oppose the deal in Parliament when it comes for discussion.”

With Left Front and its new found ally UNPA, as also DMK leader Karunanidhi, already opposed to the deal, the stated purpose of the BJP is to show the isolation of the Congress on the subject.

Advani conveyed similar feelings to Kissinger. While the former secretary of state sought to convince the BJP leader that the nuclear deal was good for India, Advani told him that the nuclear deal in the present form was on unequal terms and the BJP had serious objections to such strategic subservience.

Source : DNA