Denying that not getting membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) last month was a setback for India, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said that the door was still not shut for the country, and the Government is working out ways to convince members to support India’s application.
Speaking in the lok Sabha during the Question Hour, Swaraj maintained India is engaging with China to iron out differences after Beijing created “procedural hurdles” for its entry into NSG. China was the only country that had raised the issue of signing of NPT as an important clause for acquiring NSG membership.
However, Swaraj asserted that India has a clear cut policy on the non proliferation treaty and the Government will “never sign NPT” but will continue to fulfil its commitments made when it got the waiver in 2008.
“We are engaging with it (China). If someone says ‘No’ for once, it does not mean he won’t agree at all ... like GST... almost all parties have agreed to it but Congress has not. That does not mean it will never agree (to the GST bill),” Swaraj said.
Responding to supplementaries during Question Hour in the lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said China had raised questions over how a non-NPT could become a member of the NSG. Swaraj also pointed out that contrary to Supriya Sule’s assertions that India got a Rsdiplomatic snub’ from few countries, Mexico supported India’s bid and when the decision did not go in New Delhi’s favour, it demanded an extraordinary meeting to make the plenary decide again on the issue.
The Minister also rejected suggestions that government had created a lot of hype ahead of the NSG meet in Seoul. “We have been taught to make serious efforts to achieve things...No hype was created when we submitted our application for the membership of NSG on May 12. We did it with low fanfare,” she said. Asserting that Indian diplomacy has made its mark, she said earlier people used to ask whether India can make it to the NSG. “Now when India will become a member is the question being asked,” she said.
Highlighting the benefits of being in elite NSG team, Swaraj said its membership would enable India have enhanced and uninterrupted access to nuclear technology, fuel and material required for expanding its civil nuclear programme. She added though the 2008 waiver has allowed it some benefits but a full-fledged membership will see India sitting on the high table and be part of rule making.
“We are rule takers not rule makers,” she said recalling a 2011 decision of NSG not to transfer sensitive enrichment and reprocessing technology to non-NPT states. “The decision was against us. Had we been inside (member), we would not have let this happen,” she said. She added the present waiver is like being allowed in the verandah. “Membership is like being in the room...Being part of rule making,” Swaraj said.
The minister credited her predecessors and the previous UPA government for getting the waiver and said while the UPA government made the commitments, the present government is following the same since it came to power in 2014.