Charges of selling itself out to the United States confronted the Manmohan Singh government on Tuesday as Opposition ranks joined hands in Parliament to stage a walkout against the government?s move to agree to an End User Monitoring Agreement with the US, that permits scrutiny of American components in future defence purchases made by India.

Accusing the government of compromising nation?s sovereignty, the Opposition refused to accept a suo moto statement made by external affairs minister SM Krishna on the floor of both Houses of Parliament, that sought to defend the End Users Monitoring Agreement finalised with the US on Monday. ?Question of bartering our freedom and sovereignty does not arise,? Krishna said while claiming that the EUMA only systemised ad hoc arrangements that was present earlier while purchasing defence technology and equipment. ?What was done at the high end defence purchases individually, is being generalised now. End use clause was incorporated

earlier,? he said.

The leader of the Opposition LK Advani, however, said the Opposition was dissatisfied with the government statement, as it not only failed to address the concerns expressed by members but also demontrated a lack of consensus in the parliament on the issue. ?Earlier too such a situation came about when the 123 was signed,? he said, adding ?if there is any such agreement which affects the consensus and unity of the country, it must be brought to Parliament for approval first?.

The former foreign minister Yashwant Sinha had earlier raised the issue during the day when he charged that the agreement contained clauses that permitted scrutiny of defence equipment containing American components, even if purchased from countries other than the United States. ?We do not want such an agreement. You must abrogate it,? deputy leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj said.

Backing the BJP, the Samajwadi Party and the Left parties maintained that the govenrment had sold itself out to the US. ?We are not subservient to the United States. Its a question of the country,? SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav said. In the Rajya Sabha, Left leaders including Brinda Karat and Sitaram Yechury strongly criticised the government for their pro-US tilt.

Significantly, the Congress refrained from extending its full backing to the government decision. ?There is no need for endorsement. The government knows what it is doing,? party spokepserson Manish Tiwari said. He said that critics, who were vocal about the agreement, should wait for some time to gain knowledge about the issue before reaching at a conclusion.

That the government was somewhat on the defensive was indicated when when the external affairs minister, departing from the convention of not giving clarifications on statements in the Lok Sabha, decided to respond. Krishna told the lower house he was surprised by the kind of interpretation being given by Opposition parties to the bilateral understanding.