Bharatiya Janata Party and Communist Party of India-Marxist members on Friday voiced concern in the Lok Sabha over efforts by the US and other industrialised nations to curb enrichment and reprocessing technology to India and demanded a statement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to clarify the situation.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, BJP leader M M Joshi wanted to know whether India was going to sign the NPT to get ENR technology and if not, what would be the meaning of the Indo-US nuclear deal.
He also said that any international agreement having impact on sovereignty of the nation should be ratified by Parliament.
Joshi referred to the G-8 resolution on curbing transfer of ENR technology to non-NPT countries and said the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group was also considering a draft on similar lines.
He said if such a move succeeds in the NSG, it will go against the statement of the Prime Minister that India had got a "clean waiver" from the grouping that controls global nuclear trade.
The Prime Minister has been maintaining that there is no hidden clause in the civil nuclear deal with the US, Joshi said.
But the move by the NSG would mean that India will not get ENR technology, which would result in India becoming a dumping ground for used nuclear fuel, he contended.
The move by G-8 on ENR will also affect the country's Thorium programme, Joshi said.
Insisting that the scientific community is also concerned, the BJP leader said the Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar had said that he felt "betrayed" by the US.
"This is dangerous and serious matter. The Prime Minister should make a statement, spelling out whether we are ready to sign the NPT. If we are not signing the NPT, then what is the meaning of the (civil nuclear) deal with the US? If we are going to sign the NPT, then why was the deal required," Joshi sought to know.
He said even US Director for Arms Control Daryl Kimbel had said that the purpose of the G-8 and the NSG proposal was to bar ENR to countries like India, which have not signed NPT.
CPI-M member Basudeb Acharia also voiced concern over the G-8 resolution. It means that India will have to adhere to NPT if it has to get ENR, he said.
