New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will renegotiate the Indo-US civil nuclear deal if it came to power, L.K. Advani Leader of Opposition said on Monday during the trust vote debate.
An hour-long speech of Advani covered a range of issues, including internal security and the price rise. During his speech he said that he is neither against the nuclear energy nor against a “strategic relationship” with the US.
“We are not against nuclear energy. We are not against a very close relationship with the US. I may differ with the Communists on this view,” Advani said.
"We are not at all opposed (to) a relationship with America. (But) irrespective of how powerful the country, we would not like India to be a party to an agreement which is unequal," he added.
Advani stated that the Indo-US nuclear deal makes India a "subservient partner".
He made it clear that his party would "renegotiate" the nuclear deal on coming to power and sought a constitutional amendment so that no international agreement could be carried out by any government without the concurrence of parliament.
"We will make it a deal between equal partners so that strategic interests are not compromised."
Advani blamed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for the present political crisis in the country.
"This situation has been brought by the UPA government itself. We are here to defeat the government on the floor of this house not to destabilise it. There has never been a session like this before. It's for the first time that a discussion is taking place whether a minority government should stay or not.”
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government has been reduced to a minority after the Left withdrew support over differences on the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Advani said the UPA government failed on all fronts, especially for the "aam aadmi" (common man) and farmers, with inflation becoming wayward.
"The UPA government has been reduced to a patient in an ICU. The government was sworn in on May 22, 2004. Four years and two months later, it is facing the likelihood of being voted out," the BJP leader said.
Lashing out at the Prime Minister, Advani said, "Without the Congress president's (Sonia Gandhi) approval, you will not take a single step."
The BJP leader said he had never seen a government so paralysed.
Advani blamed the UPA government for side-tracking important issues like terrorism. He pointed out to the serial blasts in Mumbai, Malegaon, Hyderabad and Jaipur and terror attacks in Jammu and Varansi in recent months.
"I would like the Prime Minister and the Home Minister to tell us what has been the progress of the investigations in all these cases. Has anyone been put on trial or convicted?" Advani asked, adding that the performance of the government on this front had been dismal.
The only reason for the government's laxity was the "vote bank", the BJP leader said.
He also accused the Manmohan Singh government of dragging its feet on cases like that of Mohammed Afzal. He was sentenced to death for his role in the 2001 terror attack on Parliament.
Advani brought up the issue of the Sethusamudram shipping canal project and the government's affidavit in the Supreme Court putting a question mark on the existence of the Hindu god Lord Ram.
Indo-Asian News Service
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