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Indian leaders welcome nuke explosions

India's second set of nuclear explosions has evoked more bouquets than brickbats from politicians.

Thus, former Union home minister Indrajit Gupta, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal and his Assam counterpart Prafulla Kumar Mahanta all added their own messages to the steady stream of congratulations at the Atal Bihari Vajapayee government's decision.

Former Indian ambassador to the United States Nani Palkhivala, however, was of the opposing view: he expressed concern over the tests, and said India should sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Gupta's reaction to the tests was warm -- he congratulated the government and the scientists, saying there was a high degree of efficiency in conducting the tests without any release of radioactive material into the atmosphere.

Extending his party's support to the government on the nuclear issue, Gupta said it was a reaction to the test-firing of Ghauri missile by Pakistan.

Former defence minister Mulayam Singh, though all praise for the tests, said the Bharatiya Janata Party government was trying to divert the people's attention from its failures. Reacting to the condemnation by many countries, he said the developed nations should destroy their own weapons if they wanted to bring about disarmament.

Bansi Lal and the BJP's West Bengal president, Tapan Sikdar, MP, also expressed happiness at the tests.

Mahanta said it was very important from India's security point of view to conduct the tests. These have enhanced the self-confidence of the country and reminded the world of India's capability and strength, he said.

Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel described it as 'a great achievement for the country.'

Palkhivala said the economic sanctions by the US in this regard was inevitable -- there was no other way they (the US) can tame India.

Now that we have tested the country's nuclear capability, India should go ahead and sign the CTBT, Palkhivala said.

However, he said India might not want to sign the treaty because of the threat from Pakistan. India may say we are not in a position to sign until and unless Pakistan does so. And Pakistan would do the same, the jurist said.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist, meanwhile, came down heavily on the government. It said the real story behind the tests is that Vajpayuee has agreed to get India to be a counterweight to China as part of a US gameplan.

Defence Minister George Fernandes's recent unprovoked attacks against China, characterising it as India's enemy number one, was part of this plan, the Left party said.

''The bomb alone cannot provide security to a large country like India where government policies are only adding to the masses of the hungry, poor, destitute and unemployed,'' a CPI-ML statement said.

The timing of the explosions, before making the promised strategic review, shows that these have more to do with the troubles of the government rather than any escalation in dangers from outside, the statement said.

BJP leader O Rajagopal, for his part, said the Communists were the only ones who were sad about the tests -- they had taken the same stand when China invaded India in 1962.

UNI

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