123 deal will impact future nuke testing, says BJP

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Friday said the text of the nuclear agreement with the United States has confirmed its fears that India's right to nuclear testing will be impacted.

"Television channels are going to town, saying there is no mention of nuclear testing in the text. But then the text says issues not covered in it will be subject to national laws, which means the Hyde Act," senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said in his initial reaction to the 123 text.

The Hyde Act, passed in December last year, provides that US President will have discretionary powers to terminate the civil nuclear cooperation if India conducts a nuclear test.

"The agreement is derived from the Hyde Act," he remarked.

Sinha insisted Washington offers no firm commitment to New Delhi regarding fuel supply, reprocessing and return of equipment as part of the nuclear deal.

"There are a lot of unenforceable commitments from the US in lieu of enforceable commitments from India," he said.

The former external affairs minister, who last week met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as part of a BJP delegation led by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, said his party had apprehended that Washington would work out a language that could be interpreted in different ways and that could obfuscate issues.

He said his party would come out with its detailed reaction after a deeper study of the text.

Last week, the BJP leaders conveyed their concerns to the prime minister over the 123 agreement as he assured them that the deal would not impact India's strategic programmes.