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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday stated that India will very soon go to the IAEA for a safeguards agreement for the controversial Indo-US nuclear deal. However, he did not specify any date as to when exactly India would go to the IAEA headquarters at Vienna.

While heading toward Japan for G8 summit he spoke to journalists on board the special aircraft, “We have been assured that once we take the decision to go to the IAEA, the process will move very fast.”

“As soon as we decide to go to the IAEA, the matter will be in the court of its Board of Governors and we would certainly hope that the Board can take a quick decision. We have an agreed text which has been agreed to by the secretariat of the IAEA, so I would expect that the process would not take too long,” he added.

Singh, who will meet US President George W Bush on the sidelines of the summit on July 9, said that he would also discuss this issue of nuclear deal with other world leaders and will seek their support for the IAEA and the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG).

Very confidently and relaxed PM said, “Living with tension is part of the prime minister’s job in all countries, including India, but I am not under any unusual tension,”

Having a dig at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani’s who stated that government should seek a trust vote, Singh said: “We will cross that bridge when we come to it. We are not afraid of facing the Parliament. We will abide by all the Parliamentary norms that should apply to the great democracy that India is. Advani need not give any advice to us.”

Singh further added that the BJP leader “need not give any advice” on the issue. Exuding confidence at the strength of his government, he said “there would be no early Lok Sabha polls.”

Tags: Advani, IAEA, India, India US Nuke deal, LK Advani, Nuclear deal, Nuke Deal, US, USA

The opposition NDA’s silent protest against Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee’s recent decision has worked as Chatterjee withdraws the notice referring 32 MPs, mostly from the BJP, to the Privileges Committee for their “unruly behavior”. Please see “Lok Sabha Speaker refers cases of 32 MPs to Privileges Committee!” for more information.

NDA on Monday decided to remain silent in the Lok Sabha for fours days beginning today as they termed this decision unfair. The decision was taken after the Lok Sabha was resumed followed by abrupt adjourn by the speaker till 2 pm today.

The alliance’s leaders had decided to remain silent in the Lok Sabha for fours days beginning today to protest against the decision referring to 32 leaders.

A meeting was held to resolve the issue where Chatterjee reportedly said that he was withdrawing the notice after MPs assured him of smooth conduct of the House.

Opposition leader L K Advani and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee formally urged him to do so and assured the Speaker that the Lower House would function smoothly without any disruptions. Chatterjee, on his part, said that he had taken the decision to refer the MPs to the Privileges Committee to ensure orderly conduct in the House. He also thanked Mukherjee and Advani for the assurance.

The adjournment came as Samajwadi Party leader Ramji Lal Suman sought to raise the issue of controversial anti-North Indian statements made by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray.

TDP leader K Yerrannaidu was also raised the issue of recent fire in the Guntur market, which destroyed produce worth crores of rupees.

Besides upsetting the BJP and its allies like the Shiv Sena, the Speaker`s action had also drawn flak from Samajwadi Party which said the chair was “neither a monarch, nor the members his subjects”.

Shiv Sena, a key constituent of NDA, whose two members have also been proceeded against, said that there was no question of being apologetic about raising a “burning” issue affecting the people.

Repeated disruptions in the House were seen and the immediate provocation was the incidents of April 24, which saw opposition members storming the well shouting slogans without paying heed to the chair.

Tags: Advani, BJP, India, Lok Sacha, NDA, Samajwadi Party, Somnath Chatterjee

After having made the Central Bharatiya Janata Party leadership agree to his demands, BJP leader Gopinath Munde met Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray again late on Thursday night and sought his “blessings”.

Munde has returned to Mumbai from Delhi after meeting the top BJP leaders including LK Advani and Rajnath Singh. After coming back Munde meets Thackray at his residence during which the Shiv Sena leader wished him all success.

Earlier Munde met Thackray three days back before going to Delhi. Thackray supported Munde on the issue of Munde’s resignation. Munde who was not satisfied with party functioning has resigned from all the party posts on Sunday and expressed his displeasure over the appointment of Madhu Chavan as the new president of Mumbai BJP unit. Later after meeting with senior leaders in Delhi he cancelled his resignation where he was assured that his conditions will be taken care.

Thackeray in an editorial in Sena paper Samna had expressed his support for Munde, but also advised him to “look back” before taking any step forward.

After the BJP leadership agreed to concede to Munde’s demands, Thackeray in another editorial on Thursday praised him for making the BJP top brass “buckle” and also for bringing in democracy in the party.

Tags: Advani, Bala Saheb, BJP, Gopinath Munde, LK Advani, Mumbai, Munde, Rajnath Singh, Shiv Sena, Thackeray

There is the news of a bit of contradiction between BJP and its senior party leader Lal Krishna Advani on the matter of his remarks on Kandhar. BJP said today that Advani had never said that he was not aware of the decision to send Jaswant Singh along with terrorist to Kandhar for the release of the hijacked plane.

That time Jaswant Singh was the External Affair Minister, and Advani was the Home Minister. BJP spokes person Rajiv Pratap Rudi told the media that the decision to send Jaswant Singh to Kandhar was the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Security and Mr. Advani was also present in that meeting as the Home Minister of the Union of India.

Rudy remarked on the query on Sonia Gandhi’s remarks on Advani over the Kandhar episode, that “There are many things Sonia does not understand. She does not know many things which are happening in the country and even in her UPA government”.

Rudy further remarked that during the NDA government, PM Atal jee used to take decisions, while under the UPA government, PM Manmohan Singh cannot take decisions by his own, hence the problems are arising.

Tags: Advani, Atal, BJP, Jaswant Singh, Kandhar, Sonia