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BJP's allies not consulted before blasts, says Barnala

Akali Dal parliamentary party leader Surjit Singh Barnala on Wednesday admitted that allies in the ruling coalition were not consulted before conducting the nuclear blasts at Pokhran on May 11 and 13.

Participating in the debate in the Lok Sabha on the nuclear tests, Barnala said he came to know about the nuclear explosions from newspaper reports. "But I rejoiced over it as India has done something great," he said.

He, however, justified the government's action in not consulting its allies before going in for the tests, saying that such acts of international importance deserve utmost secrecy, which the prime minister was able to maintain.

Consultations pre-empt such big tasks, he said, and added that the world had showered praise on India for maintaining tight secrecy.

Speaking in favour of nuclear tests which, he said, had been necessitated by the national security angle, Barnala criticised those countries which did not talk of sanctions against Pakistan when it test-fired the Ghauri and Ghaznavi missiles capable of targeting Indian cities.

During his speech, he traced how India embarked upon the nuclear programme perceiving a threat to national security a couple of years back, and justified India's stand in not signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

UNI

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