Government said it is ready to take sense of Parliament on the Indo-US nuclear deal after the process of implementing the agreement is completed.
NEW DELHI: Government on Wednesday said it is ready to take sense of Parliament on the Indo-US nuclear deal after the process of implementing the agreement is completed as it asserted that the pact will have no impact on India's right to conduct nuclear test or on country's foreign policy.
"We have never said we will not take the sense of the House, let the process (of operationalisation of the agreement) be complete. We have begun the process and it is not complete yet," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Rajya Sabha replying to a marathon debate on the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Not satisfied with the over hour-long reply, supporting Left parties joined the Opposition BJP and Third Front in staging a walkout insisting that the sense of the House be taken. An agitated Mukherjee said "there is no reason, they have no case."
CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury, who initiated the debate, said "I am not fully convinced. My opposition to the deal continues. Majority of the House does not agree with the deal."
Not convinced, Leader of the Opposition Jaswant Singh questioned the "hurry" with which the government is proceeding to implement the deal.
"Wait a bit. Carry the people and Parliament with you. It is clear from yesterday's debate that a large part of the House is not with you."
Seeking to allay apprehensions of Left parties as well as the Opposition, particularly on whether India retains the right to conduct tests, Mukherjee said the deal will have no impact on strategic or foreign policy of the country.
In a point-by-point response to the concerns raised by several members during the nine-and-a-half-hour debate which went up late into midnight last night, Mukherjee attacked the Opposition for trying to score political points.
"In order to score a political point, we should not ignore practical problems facing certain areas," he said citing the example of Tehri dam.
He said 'there may be scepticism with new ideas' as witnessed when late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi initiated IT revolution and later when India signed the WTO agreement.
"Our foreign policy is independent," he emphasised while noting that India would be bound only by the 123 Agreement and not by the Hyde Act which has certain 'prescriptive and extraneous' elements.
Pointing out that the crux of the debate was whether India could carry out nuclear tests, he said a decision in this regard will be taken on the basis of the geo-political scenario.
"If we feel the test is necessary from geo-poltical situation, we will do it. In the 123 Agreement, it has not been banned," the External Affairs Minister said in his reply during which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was present.
Mukherjee said if such a step is taken by New Delhi 'consequences will also follow' as in 1974 and 1998.
At the same time, he noted that India was not in for 'massive' weaponisation and favours a comprehensive universal disarmament.
India, however, needs credible minimum nuclear deterrent, he said.
Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar and Prime Minister's special envoy on nuclear issue Shyam Saran were present in the officers' gallery.
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