Date:09/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/09/stories/2008090960771200.htm

National

It’s U.S. business interest: Advani

Special Correspondent

GANDHINAGAR: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani on Monday claimed that the civilian nuclear deal would be more beneficial to the United States than to India.

Talking to journalists here, he said the U.S. was interested in seeing the deal through because it would largely benefit its business houses manufacturing atomic power units. As there were no buyers for these units, the machinery had been lying idle for the last 10 years or so, which the U.S. firms would now be able to push to India.

For India, nuclear power would be too costly a proposition and the country would have to wait indefinitely to reap its benefits. Later, Mr. Advani received the “Swarnim Rath” when it entered Ahmedabad district at Sanand. The “Swarnim Rath” was launched on the Gujarat foundation day on May 1 with a pledge to make the State a “Golden Gujarat” by 2010 — its golden jubilee year.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Narendra Modi said he was ready to take on the Centre, “come what may,” to get the State Bill against organised crime approved. The Centre had “no business to sit over the Bill for more than four years now,” he said, adding he would go to any extent to pressure Delhi to ensure presidential assent to the GUJCOC Bill.