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RSS pledges to stop Vajpayee from signing CTBT

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh may set up an organisation to stop the National Democratic Alliance government from signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

"We are totally opposed to signing the CTBT at this juncture and will set up a special anti-CTBT front, similar to the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, to ensure that the government does not buckle under pressure," declared Seshadri Chari, editor of Organiser, the RSS mouthpiece.

The RSS had constituted the Swadeshi Jagran Manch to oppose the government's plans to further liberalise the economy and allow more foreign investment. The SJM, which is committed to a nationalist economy, has been in the forefront of opposing foreign investment.

Since many in the Bharatiya Janata Party, the largest party in the NDA, are affiliated to the RSS, the opposition will make it extremely difficult for the government to ratify the CTBT.

The RSS move is in answer to the government's indication in recent times that it would sign the CTBT provided India's "requirements" were met, though it is not clear what those are.

Chari welcomed news reports that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has reservations about signing the CTBT in its present form. The PM was also reported as saying that all countries whose signature is needed to make the CTBT effective must sign without conditions.

"We should not sign the CTBT now because we still do not know all the clauses of the treaty," said Chari. "The issue has not even been discussed by the experts in the fields of defence, diplomacy, external and internal security, and international law and treaties."

Chari also said that unless the country was made aware of the implications of the CTBT, there was no question of doing so.

"The RSS is hellbent on not signing the treaty," he said.

His party was of the view that there must be wide-ranging discussions on the CTBT, he added.

Chari also said that signing CTBT might lead to India coming under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which discriminated against India.

"Why have we spent millions on our nuclear technology if the final purpose is to sign the CTBT and then be barred from further developing our technology?" he asked.

In the wake of the United States Senate rejecting the ratification of the CTBT, the government must on no account sign the treaty, he added.

Asked about the proposed anti-CTBT front, Chari said it would be set up only if required. He refused to give any timeframe.

"We will set it up the moment we perceive that the government is moving towards CTBT. As yet we don't perceive the need for it. It will comprise retired defence officers, scientists, and other experts," he said.

The RSS official also said that if the visit of US President Bill Clinton was linked to India signing the CTBT, there was no need for the president's coming.

With the RSS opposing the treaty, a move matched by the Leftist parties, the government will have a difficult time getting Parliament to ratify it. However, the Congress, the second largest party in the Lok Sabha, is yet to make its stand known. The NDA and Congress together would be an unbeatable majority in Parliament.

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