'No US pressure over Russia nuke deal'

New Delhi: Amid charges and counter charges, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh denied yesterday there was US pressure on India against signing a deal with Russia on the supply of four nuclear reactors in Tamil Nadu.

On two occasions, a hurt prime minister accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha of levelling "false charges" against him during a debate in the Rajya Sabha on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

At one stage, Sinha alleged: "Our prime minister got no time for Shanghai because the US does not like the Shanghai Cooperation Council."

A visibly annoyed Manmohan Singh rose to state: "The honourable member is levelling false charges. All I wanted was that when the Indian prime minister goes, he should not sit on the sidelines in the coffee shop but share the high table."

Fresh allegation

Undeterred, Sinha made a fresh allegation that Manmohan Singh deferred the signing of purchase of four nuclear reactors for Koodankulam power plant from Russia on his visit to Moscow because of US pressure.

This annoyed Manmohan Singh even more and he got up again to say: "I am willing to clarify right now. The draft [of the purchase agreement] of four reactors was ready. But that agreement could have been operationalised only if India had secured the approval of the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] and satisfied the NSG ]Nuclear Suppliers Group]. Since these two conditions are still in the process, Russia fully understands this, and all the rest is false propaganda here and outside."

The BJP leader remained unapologetic and persisted with greater stridency: "I allege with full seriousness that you have come under US pressure not to sign that (Indo-Russian) agreement."

The prime minister rose again: "Mr Sinha is levelling false charges. Perhaps he is reminded of his own times when as the finance minister he was not allowed to meet the finance minister of France." This remark hurt Sinha who retorted: "Now he has come to a very personal level."

New Delhi (IANS) With the nuclear deal embroiled in political debate in India, the US yesterday said that it "continues to encourage" New Delhi to take it forward as it would be "good for India, good for the world and good for the US".

"In the recent period, we continue to be respectful of India's democratic process and will continue to be," US ambassador David C. Mulford said here while alluding to the debate on the nuclear deal in the upper house of Indian parliament.

"Our belief is that this initiative is good for India, good for the world and good for the US," Mulford told business leaders and media at a function here to felicitate him for getting a top US award for exemplary diplomatic service.

About the debate in India over the nuclear deal, which aims at the resumption of global civilian nuclear commerce with New Delhi, the US envoy reminded New Delhi of strong bipartisan support for the enabling Hyde Act passed by the US Congress last year.

"Following the completion of negotiations on the 123 agreement, we continue to encourage the government of India's move forward to complete the process that President [George] Bush and Prime Minister [Manmohan] Singh have delineated and which when completed will bring profound economic and non-proliferation benefits," he said.

Mulford said the passage of the Hyde Act, which provided a waiver from the US Atomic Energy Act, 1954 was an "outstanding example of bipartisan consensus and statesmanship".

The Act was passed "at a time when its members were deeply divided along party lines on many important issues," Mulford said.