Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday made it clear in Lok Sabha that India's strategic programme will not be subjected to any international scrutiny and will "respond to our own decisions".
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday made it clear in Lok Sabha that India's strategic programme will not be subjected to any international scrutiny and will "respond to our own decisions".
Intervening in a debate on the Indo-US nuclear deal, Singh said the "content and scope" of the strategic programme was not discussed with the US or any other country.
"Our strategic programme will respond to our own decisions and not be subjected to any international scrutiny," he said.
Singh assured the House that the agreement will not hurt the policy of the Department of Atomic Energy in pursuing research and development.
"I can assure the House that I stand by that commitment," he said.
The prime minister asserted that the objectives of the 1970s of the Atomic Energy Commission, of which he was a member, had not materalised.
He said since 1970, only 3600 MW of power from nuclear energy had been generated.
"I am not saying that nuclear power is the panacea for our energy...", Singh said adding that the deal will help augment the nuclear power capacity.
The prime minister, who last week returned from a visit to Japan, said there was enormous enthusiasm in that country about India's development.
He said till Sunday, India was looked as a pariah in the nuclear order. Today, the country has a place in it and there was a tremendous transformation in the world view of this country.
Many countries, he contended, were willing to readily recognise India as a nuclear weapon State.
Singh assured the House that the government was committed to its promise of not allowing any extraneous or intrusive inspections of its nuclear facilities.
The prime minister cautioned that "difficult negotiations lie ahead" and the broad approach of India is on public record and is guided by the assurances made by him to Parliament on several occasions.
Stating that the international legislation on the issue was a complex process, he said India cannot agree with anything that was not appropriate with wider national interests, strategic programme, nuclear power programme for peaceful purposes, safeguarding indigenous R&D or the fast breeder programme.
He said nothing will be done that will dilute, compromise or cast any shadow on the independence of India's foreign policy.
Singh, who spoke after Leader of the Opposition LK Advani warned that India will become a "client State" of the US if any agreement was reached based on the American legislation, acknowledged that there were areas that "continue to be cause for concern".
These will be taken up with the US before any bilateral agreement can be finalised, he said.
He said the passage of the US legislation allowed Washington to implement the commitments made in the July 18, 2005 agreement reached with President George W Bush for full civil nuclear cooperation with India "in terms acceptable to us".
India, he asserted, cannot accept any "new conditions" other than the commitments specified in the July 18 deal and the March 2 Separation Plan.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}