2009 Poll Prospects And Alignments

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Deceitful action, says Advani</b>

Neena Vyas

“Country made a laughing stock”

Government has gone back on its assurances: BJP

“It is pretending that it still enjoys majority support”

NEW DELHI: The National Democratic Alliance on Thursday expressed its “outrage” at the “deceitful and duplicitous” action of the United Progressive Alliance government in approaching the International Atomic Energy Agency for ratification of the proposed India-specific safeguards without the government establishing its majority in Parliament.

At a press conference called after a meeting of NDA leaders, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani demanded the Prime Minister “immediately” seek a vote of confidence “not only on the nuclear deal” but to generally demonstrate that it enjoyed majority support in the Lok Sabha.

Present at the press conference were senior leaders of the Janata Dal (United) and a representative of the Akali Dal.

Bharatiya Janata Party leaders said the Biju Janata Dal and the Shiv Sena leaders were not present as the meeting was called at short notice.

Mr. Advani took strong objection to the circulation of the draft agreement with the IAEA after people “across the world” had access to the document.

He said the NDA suspected a “conspiracy” to “present the nation with a fait accompli on the deal by rushing through it behind closed doors.”

While people all over the world were first to get access to the document, in India it was made public several hours later. “This government has made our country a laughing stock” by this action, he charged.

“No government – least of all a minority government – can be permitted to make commitments on an issue as fundamental to the country’s long-term interests and national security” as the issue related to the nuclear deal.

Mr. Advani charged the government with going back on its assurances and promises made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee that nothing would be done without first taking a vote of confidence.

Using the “fig-leaf” of an “unprincipled and opportunistic alliance” with the Samajwadi Party following withdrawal of support by the Left, the government was “pretending that it still enjoyed majority support, a statement issued by the NDA said.

The charge was that the government was “running away from facing its moment of truth,” that is, the confidence vote.

Asked whether the NDA would have floor coordination with the Left to ensure the government’s defeat, Mr. Advani said that was “not needed. I am optimistic the majority of MPs will vote against the government.”
“Surreptitious means”

Mr. Advani alleged that the government with using “surreptitious means” to expedite the nuclear deal. He demanded that Parliament be convened immediately and a trust vote be taken “to quell any further horse-trading by a desperate government”.

On the draft before the IAEA, Mr. Advani said India was a nuclear weapon State but the draft would bring India on a par with other States that were not nuclear weapon States. That was not acceptable.