HVK Archives: No consensus on exercising nuclear option, says Left
No consensus on exercising nuclear option, says Left - The Indian Express
Express News Service
()
May 13, 1998
Title: No consensus on exercising nuclear option, says Left
Author: Express News Service
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: May 13, 1998
The Left parties have taken a critical view of the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) Government's decision to conduct three nuclear
tests, saying that there is no national consensus on exercising
the nuclear option.
"So far, only the BJP has advocated a policy of exercising the
nuclear option," the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the
Communist Party of India said in a joint statement.
Demanding that the Vajpayee Government adhere to the country's
nuclear disarmament policies which have been pursued so far, the
two parties called for the avoidance of a nuclear arms race in
South Asia so that peace and security is maintained in the
region.
ur concern is that the ongoing process of normalising relations
with India's neighbours might be jeopardised." said Communist
Party of India national secretary, D Raja.
Questioning the decision to carry out the tests at this juncture,
the CPM and the CPI said the Government has not given any reasons
for this decision nor has it explained the international and
national implications that would result as a fallout of the test.
While felicitating the Indian scientific community, the two
parties reiterated that India had successfully developed its
independent capability in the nuclear field.
Meanwhile, the Janata Party also asked the BJP Government to
explain how the potential international political leverage would
be utilised to "ward off the counter-measures of (our)
adversaries.
"Nuclear tests and bomb stockpiles are useless unless we have a
strategic doctrine regarding how it should he used," Janata Party
president Subramaniam Swamy said in a statement.
Warning that the "raw tribal euphoria" following the tests would
die down, Swamy said the Prime Minister should unravel the broad
contours of a global strategic policy. Subramaniam Swamy said
that otherwise the nuclear tests would mean othing more than
reckless adventurism that hurtles us to a confrontation that the
nation is not prepared for.
"If the Prime Minister has no blueprint for such a policy, this
adventurism will harm the nation." Swamy contended.
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