PM Modi, Sushma Swaraj creating 'misplaced euphoria' on NSG: Congress

Accusing the government of creating a "misplaced euphoria" over NSG issue, Congress on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj of being "less than honest" on it.

Senior party leader Anand Sharma said the government should overcome China's position of blocking India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), an international grouping that controls supply of atomic fuel and technology. "Now China has taken a position, and the government must overcome that and not create a misplaced euphoria," Sharma told reporters here. "The Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister, both have been less than honest," he said.

He said the previous meetings of the NSG, "contrary to the claims of the Prime Minister and this government, did not have India's membership application on the agenda. Now the government must explain that." Sharma, a former union minister, said when NSG granted the India-specific waiver in 2008, an overwhelming majority of member countries had supported that and the same countries are supporting it today.

"If the government is trying to project that it is a new development, it is not. India's application was there. United State of America, France, UK, Germany, Russia, all had supporting us in 2008. Now it is question of India's formal membership...," he said. Sharma said in 2008 July, India and the US had agreed to enter into civil nuclear cooperation and as a result the two countries had signed the '123 Agreement'. To make the agreement operational, there was a requirement for NSG waiver since India is not a non-signatory to the NPT, he said.