No BJP support to government on N-deal

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has failed to garner the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party on the India-United States nuclear agreement. The Opposition party has said that it cannot accept the agreement in its present form.

The BJP's stand was made clear by senior leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani when Singh met them in New Delhi on Wednesday night to seek the party's support during the debate on the deal in Parliament.

Advani told the Prime Minister that the party's concerns on the nuclear deal have not been addressed, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj told reporters in New Delhi on Thursday.

Advani asked Singh whether he can assure that India will be able to conduct nuclear tests after operationalising the deal, Swaraj said, adding that the Prime Minister could not make any commitments.

Advani had earlier this week said that the government approached the Opposition party on the deal when it was on the verge of falling and it was too late to support the government on the issue.