Natwar: Nuke knock

New Delhi, Dec. 16: Foreign minister K. Natwar Singh?s reported remarks questioning India?s decision to go nuclear forced Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to clarify in Parliament today that the nuclear policy was based on ?continuity and national consensus?.

Natwar Singh apparently told the South Korean government during an official visit that the Congress was not responsible for Pokhran II as the decision was taken by the previous BJP-led National Democratic Alliance regime.

Hackles were raised here particularly by his alleged advice to Seoul not to follow Delhi?s example.

South Block has set in motion a damage-limitation exercise and the Prime Minister had to pitch in to calm agitated MPs, particularly from the BJP.

?India is a nuclear power and a responsible nuclear power.... India?s defence and strategic affairs have to be decided upon on the basis of continuity and national consensus with due deliberation. These are issues best kept above partisan politics,? the Prime Minister told the Rajya Sabha.

When the leader of the Opposition voiced concerns about the reported remarks ?belittling the country?s achievement?, he added: ?I categorically say there is no uncertainty in our nuclear policy.?

Manmohan Singh said he had seen the reports, but would try to find out what exactly his colleague had said when he returns from South Korea tomorrow.

?My assessment was that the reported remarks appear to be in context to questions from journalists and what he (Natwar Singh) said was not a statement on foreign policy,? Manmohan Singh said.

Navtej Sarna and Anand Sharma, the spokespersons for the foreign ministry and the Congress, echoed him.

This is not the first time Natwar Singh?s remarks have put the government and the Congress in an embarrassing position. Soon after taking over as minister, he emphasised that the Simla Agreement is the ?bedrock? of India-Pakistan relations. Both the BJP and Islamabad were left wondering if it marked a shift in Delhi?s stand after the peace process was resurrected by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pervez Musharraf.

A few months later, his remarks at Ronald Reagan?s funeral led to speculation in Washington about a possible shift in India?s stand on the sensitive issue of sending troops to Iraq.