BJP: A divided house on nuclear deal

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears to be divided in its approach to the India-US nuclear deal, with its senior leaders speaking in different voices.

BJP leader L.K. Advani, who leads the opposition in the Lok Sabha, surprised many when he was quoted as saying that his party would have no objection to the nuclear agreement, "if the government amends the Indian Atomic Energy Act to ensure strategic independence and non-hindrance in reactor fuel supplies".

He also told a daily newspaper in Hyderabad, "So far as the BJP is concerned, and if it is in national interest, that we have no objection to a strategic partnership with the US."

But Advani's latest position is at variance with the position adopted by BJP vice president and former foreign minister Yashwant Sinha and former union minister Arun Shourie.

Sinha and Shourie -- the latter writing well-argued articles against the deal -- have been leading the BJP charge against the Manmohan Singh government, which is also facing the heat from its Left allies.

The duo in their first reaction issued jointly Aug 4 had said, "None of our fears and apprehensions was ever given serious consideration by the government of India."

Dissecting the 123 agreement, they had said, "There is nothing in the agreement regarding the reprocessing of the spent fuel of Tarapur which has accumulated over the last 33 years."

Moreover, "nuclear testing has not been mentioned in the agreement. According to the government of India this is a matter of great comfort for us. This view is entirely untenable".

The two had also claimed that "with regard to fuel supplies, reprocessing rights and the right to recall the equipments supplied, the US has maintained its position as in the Hyde Act. India, on the other hand, has accepted legally enforceable commitments in perpetuity".

Their view was endorsed by BJP president Rajnath Singh, who said Aug 18 that the "entire mood in the country is against the deal".

When, both Shourie and Sinha avoided comment on Advani's new take.

While most BJP leaders preferred not to speak on the issue, vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi attempted to explain the compulsions that appear to have led Advani to make a climb-down.

"There is no point in our being seen as joining ranks with the Left parties. Besides, it is not good to be seen as rigid and uncompromising as not everyone understands this issue clearly," Naqvi said.

A BJP leader told on condition of anonymity, "We have a large NRI constituency who would like India to progress further with nuclear energy."

However, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the BJP, has remained opposed to the deal.

RSS general secretary Mohan Bhagwat recently told a Mumbai newspaper that "contradictory statements made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US state department officials on the Indo-US nuclear deal have made the RSS believe that there is something suspicious about the deal".

He asked the government to be "more transparent", adding: "If the deal affects the stability and independence of our nation, then the controversial clause should be deleted."