The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today said it would re-negotiate the Indo-US civil nuclear deal if it comes to power. The party said the present deal had given up India’s right to conduct nuclear tests.
“The Indian government has gone for a blind trap knowingly and can’t get out of it. We have acceded to the nuclear non-proliferation regime by signing the Indo-US nuclear deal,” said BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy. He said when the “BJP comes to power it will re-think and re-negotiate the deal. If need be we will keep open the right to conduct nuclear tests.”
Taking a cue from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s statement to the US Congress that the deal would be scrapped if India conducted a nuclear test, Rudy said, “The unambiguous and conclusive remarks by Condoleezza Rice that any nuclear test by India will have serious consequences, including automatic termination of all co-operation, vindicates the BJP’s stand that India has abrogated its right to conduct nuclear tests forever.”