BJP criticises deal

Describing the civilian nuclear cooperation with the US as ‘‘unacceptable’’, the BJP today said it would freeze India’s nuclear deterrent capabilities.

Describing the civilian nuclear cooperation with the US as ‘‘unacceptable’’, the BJP today said it would freeze India’s nuclear deterrent capabilities.

‘‘There has been not even a hint of parity and from the different clauses of the Bill, there is no question of India being formally acknowledged as a nuclear weapon state. India has, on the contrary, agreed to be treated as a de jure Non-Nuclear Weapon State under the NPT,’’ senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said today.

‘‘Looking at the language and the terms and conditions to be fulfilled for the deal to take shape and the subsequent euphoria in the Indian government circles it becomes abundantly clear that the American negotiators have succeeded in getting India into the CTBT regime and getting it sign a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty—a draft of which has been recently introduced by the US in the Commission on Disarmament in Geneva,’’ Joshi said. He said,‘‘The Presidential Waiver would be rendered ineffective if India undertakes a nuclear test. This evidently is capping Indian capacity to have a ‘credible minimum deterrent’ and seriously jeopardising our energy independence.’’