No need for JPC in N-deal: Govt

Putting up a brave face, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi has said the United Progressive Allliance is not facing any crisis and differences with the Left parties will be resolved soon.

Talking to mediapersons on Monday in New Delhi, Dasmunsi said there was no need for a Joint Parliamentary Committee as demanded by the Samajwadi party in the Rajya Sabha. He challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party to bring a no-confidence motion if they felt that the UPA government was ''selling the country's interest''.

He also denied that the government had constituted an expert committee to deliberate on the issue and said it would respond to various issues related with the 123 Agreement in Parliament to which it was "'accountable".

Asked about the crisis facing the government as the Left parties have asked the government to choose between their support or going ahead with operationalising the accord, Dasmunsi said, "What crisis? To me, there is no crisis. It's all an impact of global warming due to which situation is changing every day. However, we will have the 'Jana Gana Man' at the end of monsoon session, winter session and the President addressing the Joint session of Parliament during the next budget session."

Regarding Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Prakash Karat's statement, Dasmunsi said, "'We have no complaints against any individual or parties. As a responsible minister of the government, I am saying that we will discuss the agreement threadbare in Parliament and take an objective decision after due consultations taking the country's interest into account."

Admitting that hectic parleys were on among leaders of the UPA and Left parties, Dasmunsi said the gap between the two coalition partners had narrowed down and soon it would be totally bridged.

He said the date for a debate on the nuclear deal would be finalised in the business advisory council meeting, which will be held in a day or two. He said a number of experts would also participate in the debate to give their opinion over the nuclear deal.

Asserting that the government would respond to the situation carefully, responsibly and sincerely, Dasmunsi said nothing would happen which could benefit communal forces. Asked about reports emerging from the US State Department that in case India conducts a nuclear test, the agreement would no longer remain in force, Dasmunsi said even people in the US are saying that the deal was heavily in favour of India.

Moreover, both China and Pakistan want the agreement scrapped, he said. Dasmunsi parried questions regarding the cost to the country in case the deal was scrapped or India conducted nuclear tests. He said nothing could be predicted in history, nobody had thought in 1991 that Soviet Union would disintegrate.