Mukherjee brushes off Oppn demand on nuclear deal

The Minister was responding to concerns expressed by CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury on the joint military exercises with the US. Mukherjee reeled out the names of the countries with which India held joint military exercises in the past — Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Oman, Thailand, UK, Russia, France, Seychelles, Maldives and Sri Lanka. “India’s military power has never been recognised like this before,” the minister pointed out, adding that “it would be a strange logic if exercises with China and Russia don’t subject us to pressure but exercises with the US do.”

Earlier, during a discussion on foreign policy in the House, Yechury reiterated the Left parties’ threat of pulling down the Government if it goes ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal. “If it falters on foreign policy, we will pull down the government. We cannot afford to be drawn into strategic tie-ups. We will not permit the government to succumb to US pressure,” he said.

Meanwhile, on the BJP’s demand to share the details of the IAEA agreement, Mukherjee said: “I deliberately didn’t spell out as I had nothing to spell out. As and when the IAEA board approves the India-specific safeguards, we will come back to you. Since July 2005, we have discussed the deal five times in the House. I don’t subscribe to the Leader of Opposition’s view that we should either mend it or end it (the n-deal).”

Mukherjee also rebutted allegations of India “diluting” its policy stance vis-à-vis Palestine. “On March 3, we condemned the retaliatory attacks in Gaza by Israel at the UN Human Rights meeting in Geneva. We are supporting the UNSC resolution that Israel will have to vacate the occupied land. During the last couple of weeks, we have expressed our deep concern on Palestine thrice.

Am I diluting my policy?,” he asked.

On Tibet, Mukherjee pointed to the Dalai Lama’s statement from Dharamsala earlier this month thanking the Indian Government and argued that if China feels that India’s conduct is reassuring, one need not take it as patronisation.