Opening 90 per cent N-reactors an unwise step, says BJP

Accusing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of  'confusing' the people about the need for concluding the India-United States civil nuclear deal, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said opening 14 of the 22 nuclear reactors for international inspection was not a wise move and it would endanger national security.

Giving a detailed analysis of the nuclear scenario in the world and the BJP's opposition to signing the nuclear deal at the BJP National Council meeting, former Union minister Arun Shourie said the United States was speaking openly about its intentions of signing the deal. He said the US wanted to 'stop, rollback and eliminate' India's nuclear capacities.

The nuclear club members US, France, United Kingdom and China had altogether kept open only five of their 107 civilian nuclear installations for international inspection, whereas through the deal, the US was expecting India to open up 90 per cent of its nuclear facilities to intense scrutiny by the International Atomic Energy Agency, he said.

"When the nuclear club members don't allow their sites for inspection, why should India do it? India can't allow such a move, especially when China had built up its nuclear weapons capacity since the 1960s and much of its pile up was in Tibet and the upper reaches of India. A missile would require less than five minutes to reach Indian territories," he said.

Indo-US Nuclear Tango

He said the BJP opposed the deal because it went against Indian interests and, if signed, it would allow intense inspection of nuclear sites in the country. He said the US could take back nuclear fuel and equipments supplied if India conducted a nuclear test. India would also have to report to the US President all the details regarding nuclear installations, he added.

Shourie said India has enough nuclear fuel in Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya and Jharkhand for 27,000 explosions. He said India should work on accelerating fast breeder reactors as they produced more nuclear fuel than they consumed, thus enhancing the security leverage for the country.

He said India can have good relations with the United States and should never accept the view that the relationship between the two countries would suffer if the deal is not signed.

Shourie gave the example of how the NDA regime had good ties with the US despite pursuing an independent nuclear policy and conducting the Pokhran II tests braving sanctions.