145;BJP showing double standards146;

Singling out the BJP for displaying 8216;8216;double standards8217;8217; on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, the government went on record for the first time today that the Vajpayee Government had gone to the extent of placing India8217;s strategic nuclear programme under discussion with the US.

Singling out the BJP for displaying 8216;8216;double standards8217;8217; on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, the government went on record for the first time today that the Vajpayee Government had gone to the extent of placing India8217;s strategic nuclear programme under discussion with the US. 8216;8216;We are discussing cooperation only in civilian nuclear energy,8217;8217; said Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma.

Sharma told the The Indian Express, 8216;8216;It is in the records that the NDA Government was discussing our strategic deterrent with the USA. Also, Strobe Talbott wrote about Jaswant Singh8217;s readiness to sign the CTBT,8217;8217; he said, adding that he was 8216;8216;amused8217;8217; by BJP8217;s criticism of the deal.

On the Left opposing the deal, Sharma made a distinction between the two saying the Left were partners with whom matters could be sorted out through discussion. He maintained the same line when it came to the DMK and the crisis in Sri Lanka.

The BJP8217;s criticism of the nuclear deal, Sharma said, has been 8216;8216;uninformed8217;8217; and 8216;8216;deliberately partisan8217;8217;. He recalled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee telling the UN General Assembly in 1998 that India8217;s 8216;8216;de facto8217;8217; unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing can become a 8216;8216;de jure8217;8217; one. On all these crucial movements on the foreign policy front after the Pokharan tests, Sharma said, the Congress was not kept in the loop. The UPA government was 8216;8216;conscious8217;8217; of involving Parliament, he added, recalling the statements made by the PM before and after US President George W Bush8217;s visit.

8216;8216;When in Government, the NDA has taken specific steps on the nuclear programme and Indo-US relations, with regard to Pakistan. But we were not informed.8217;8217;

To the memorandum submitted by Vajpayee along with key NDA leaders alleging that the strategic programme was being capped, Sharma said: 8216;8216;There is no deviation, dilution or addition to the July 18 statement8230;.why can8217;t the BJP appreciate major national achievemnets like India being elected to UN Human Rights Council with a thumping majority?8217;8217; Dismissing BJP8217;s 8216;8216;baseless criticism with the contempt it deserves8217;8217;, Sharma said he was aware of the 8216;8216;constructive criticism8217;8217; mounted by the Left parties.

He used a similar tone on the government8217;s handling of the worsening situation in Sri Lanka given the views of its allies in Tamil Nadu. 8216;8216;We are concerned about the situation. We are for a negotiated settlement of the ethnic and other issues,8217;8217; he said, adding that 8216;8216;LTTE is a banned organisation8217;8217;.