BJP TODAY
October 16--31, 2005 - Vol. 14, No. 20
The
BJP has asked Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to come clean on the
rationale behind India signing the recent IAEA resolution on Iran
since it was a political decision that amounted to a major policy
shift on the quiet without democratic consultations.
"It is unbecoming of the Government to hide behind officials when the decision is fundamentally political", senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Shri Jaswant Singh told mediapersons.
Shri Singh described it as the latest example of the UPA Government spreading confusion on important policy matters impinging directly on national security.
Posing seven questions to the Government at a Press conference, Shri Singh raised strong objections to "the manner in which the Government has acted." He went on to add, "Whatever has been delivered (at the IAEA) is totally unacceptable".
He wanted the Prime Minister or the Minister for External Affairs to tell the country at what level and by whom the decision was taken and whether the matter was ever discussed in the Union Cabinet.
Seven questions UPA needs to answer- • In India's view what aspect of NPT Agreement did Iran violate? • Since IAEA board meeting was due in November, what was the hurry to hold this meeting and at whose instance was it done? • Was it a Cabinet decision? If not, where was it taken and by whom? • Does it amount to redefining NPT, without any formal amendment? • If 'clandestine acquisition' of nuclear material by non-NWS, non-NSG countries is a violation of NPT, isn't the resolution discriminatory? • Doesn't it amount to enforcement of NPT through control over Production of fissile material without any international treaty? • Has the Government examined its ramifications for India's own nuclear policy and security? |
Pointing out that the NDA Government had always discussed major foreign policy and national security related issues with political parties at home; Mr. Singh regretted that the UPA Government had not bothered to consult the Opposition before opting for such a major shift in the country's foreign policy.
"A countrywide impression has spread that the Government has surreptitiously engaged in a major recast of policy on this important issue, which directly affects our national security. There is a strong belief, including among UPA partners, that this has been done under international pressure, particularly of the US," Shri Singh said.
Shri Singh found it incomprehensible that India, being a permanent member of IAEA Board, had merely followed the EU-3 (UK, France and Germany) without broader considerations within the country about its wider ramifications.
On the Iran-India pipeline, he took a dig at the Government, saying it was not clear where the issue "stands or does not." He noted that the BJP had brought about a major transformation of the entire nuclear policy of the country. "But this change was brought about openly, and our rationale for it was offered up front to the country and the rest of the international community".