NSG waiver historic, says Cong

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Nuclear energy to meet rising needs, says PM

New Delhi, Sep 6: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday hailed the NSG’s move to “adjust its guidelines” to enable full civil nuclear cooperation with India, describing it as a “forward looking and momentous decision”.

“It marks the end of India’s decades long isolation from the nuclear mainstream and of technology denial regime,” he said in a statement.Thanking the US and other member countries for the role they have played in the waiver, Singh said it is a recognition of India’s impeccable non-proliferation credentials and its status as a state with nuclear technology.

“It will give an impetus to India’s pursuit of environmentally sustainable economic growth,” he said. The Prime Minister said the opening of full civil nuclear cooperation between India and the international community will be good for the country and the world. The Congress too, hailed the NSG waiver for India as “historic” and said it was a significant victory not only for the UPA but for all Indians.

“It is a historic day for India. It is a red letter day,” party spokesman Manish Tiwari said moments after reports from Vienna spoke of India getting the waiver by consensus. He said it was indeed a significant victory not only the UPA but for all Indians.

The Samajwadi Party termed the waiver as a great victory for India and said it would help the country in its development. “India needs development and not nuclear bombs,” SP general secretary Amar Singh said.

BJP reacted sharply to the waiver, claiming that the country has fallen into the nuclear non-proliferation trap. “India has forever lost the right to conduct nuclear tests. The NSG waiver has come after so many deliberations... obviously there have been give away by India,” former external affairs minister and party leader Yashwant Sinha said. He said NSG guidelines are as stiff as the Hyde Act. “US has gone for the deal because it sees India as a lucrative market for nuclear energy,” he said. PTI

Commenting on Congress party’s jubilation post the NSG waiver, Sinha said, “Congress has said that the nuclear Apartheid has ended. They are trying to discard the legacy of Indira Gandhi, because the nuclear Apartheid had started after the 1974 Pokhran nuclear test.”

Atomic Energy Commission chairman PK Iyengar termed the waiver as more of a victory for the United States than an Indian win. “Do remember that 34 years ago, NSG was created by the Americans. Hence it has been their onus to convince the group to grant the waiver to India to carry out the multi-billion dollar business as India is a large market,” Iyengar, a critic of the Indo-US nuclear deal, said.