No Signing of CTBT

Date: 
Tuesday, May 11, 1999

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

No Signing of CTBT

The U.S administration is still exercising pressure on the BJP-led caretaker government to move towards signing the CTBT by arriving at a consensus with the Congress party.

The CTBT issue cannot be decided on the basis of a clandestine understanding arrived at by the Vajpayee government with the USA. The whole nuclear policy stance of the BJP-led government and its consequences will be one of the election issues before the people. The Left parties have reiterated that signing the CTBT and going for weaponisation are against the interests of the country. The statement by the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission Dr. P. Chidambaran advocating the signing of the CTBT is uncalled for and a politicised stand, not expected from a person in that position.

The Vajpayee government must come out with a categorical statement that the question of CTBT cannot be considered till the elections are held and a new government is in place.