BJP takes objection to US statement

NEW DELHI: Taking strong exception to a statement by the United States that it will not have any problem in moving forward on the nuclear deal with a minority government in India, the BJP on Tuesday said it was an "interference" in the functioning of the country.
 
Senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh said he was "surprised" at the remarks made by US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher that they did not consider it as a moral issue to deal with a minority government.
 
Boucher's statement came when the Indian Parliament was discussing and debating the matter, he said.
 
"It is without any doubt that it is totally an interference in the functioning of the country and its Parliament," Singh said.
 
Noting that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had assured on the floor of the house that the Government will not move ahead on the deal without Parliament approval, Singh said it "underscored" the concerns raised by BJP that the country's foreign and security policies were "deeply compromised".
 
Boucher on Monday said in Washington that the Bush administration will have no problem in dealing with a minority government as "minority governments are common around the world."
      
"You can't say, 'Oh, well, we are going to stop dealing with you till the next election or until some new coalition or something. That's not for us to say," Boucher said commenting on the future of the deal if the UPA fails to win the confidence vote.