No abrupt end to N-deal, assures US

The Bush administration has “reiterated” that India “retains its right to (conduct a nuclear) test and the US retains its right to react,” Sen said, adding, however that “this reaction will not be automatic suspension of all cooperation.”

The clarification comes four days after State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, “the proposed 123 Agreement has provisions in it that in an event of a nuclear test by India, then all nuclear cooperation is terminated.”

This remark triggered an upheaval in India’s political arena with the government’s Left allies and opposition parties targeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and accusing him of “misleading” the country.

The Left parties alleged that some “facts were being concealed” by the government.

The Indian government has pointed out that 123 agreement is silent on the issue of testing, implying that New Delhi has not lost the right to explode a nuclear bomb, if required, in national interest.

The Prime Minister told Parliament on Monday that the agreement to operationalise the civilian nuclear deal would not affect India’s right to undertake future nuclear tests.