New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) maintained that the Indo-US nuclear deal would deter India from conducting nuclear test.
BJP Vice President and former external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha said the party would give its comprehensive reaction only after seeing the full text of the waiver agreement reached at Vienna.
He, however, added that the Bush administration's letter to the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee which came into light a few days back, had clearly stated that after the deal India would lose its right to conduct nuclear test.
He said the US was eager to enter into civil nuclear cooperation agreement with India only because India was a big market which the US would be using for its benefits.
American Congress, the BJP leader said, would impress upon the Bush administration to ensure that no other country should offer more liberal terms than India for supply of fuel and nuclear reactors.
He said even Russia and France also favoured the NSG waiver to India "for their benefits".
Commenting on the Congress spokesman's claim that the NSG waiver to India had ended a 34-year nuclear apartheid for India, Sinha asked "What apartheid they are talking about? Has it been the policy of nuclear countries towards India after the first nuclear test in 1974 during the tenure of Indira Gandhi? If so, then Congress is admitting that it has gone away from its basic policy....(on nuclear test)."
Despite sanctions by the US after the Pokhran II test during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government, India was possessing sophisticated nuclear technology and its scientists had acquired excellence in nuclear field. He also added that India was isolated by the world following the nuclear tests was nothing but nonsense.
The Left, too, accused the Manmohan Singh Government of a sellout and claimed that India must have made some concession to get the waiver.
"We have to see the text to know what has been agreed on. We opposed the deal and would continue to do so. Pranab Mukherjee has sold the country's sovereignty and rights. It seems that the country's sovereignty is being completely lost," Communist Party of India Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP D Raja said.
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