New Delhi, Sept. 26: The BJP has accused the UPA government of “surreptitiously engaging in a major recast” of India’s foreign policy on Iran.

The leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and former external affairs minister, Jaswant Singh, alleged the Centre was “spreading confusion on important policy matters impinging directly on national security”.

“In consequence, a countrywide impression has spread that the UPA government has surreptitiously engaged in a major recast of policy on this important issue, which directly affects our national security too,” he added.

Singh hinted that this was “done under international pressure, particularly of the US” and stated that as a permanent member of the International Atomic Energy Agency board, India had “merely followed” the initiative of member-countries like UK, France and Germany.

The BJP’s main objection was apparently not directed so much to the substance of the policy move as the manner in which it was done.

“The UPA government has effected this major policy shift on the quiet without adequate democratic consultations,” said Singh.

Asked why the BJP had not specified what aspects of the policy “shift” it objected to, Singh replied it was difficult to do so in the “absence of information and facts”.

He also sought an explanation on the aspects of the NPT violated by Iran and whether the decision of the government was a cabinet decision and if not, who took it.

Sangh fight

Singh endorsed the indirect support proferred by Atal Bihari Vajpayee to L.K. Advani’s fight against the RSS and agreed with his remark that the “thinking process” in a political party should not remain frozen in time.

“The thinking process should not be locked. If a party stops thinking, it will stagnate. Openness of thinking should be encouraged but with discipline. This is the only way by which new ideas will emerge and without new ideas, a party will stagnate,” he said.

Asked for his interpretation on the statements made by Vajpayee at a function in the BJP office yesterday, Singh said: “It takes time to understand his views. Reading Vajpayee’s statements is like reading Tulsidas’s Ramayana. Every time you read the text, there are new meanings to fathom.”