Congress disputes BJP's uranium sales claim, citing prior approvals
Quick Look
- Congress criticized the BJP for claiming Australia's uranium sales to India as a Modi breakthrough, stating that then-Australian PM Julia Gillard secured party approval in 2011 following the 2008 India-US Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, which the BJP had opposed.
- Recent pacts reinforce bilateral partnership for a peaceful Indo-Pacific.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
India and Australia have recently sealed pacts on civil nuclear energy and defense, reinforcing their bilateral partnership for a peaceful Indo-Pacific region. The Congress party disputes the BJP's claim that these uranium sales are a recent breakthrough.
Congress on Friday slammed the BJP for projecting that Australia's uranium sales to India are Prime Minister Narendra Modi's breakthrough and pointed out that in December 2011, then Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard got the approval of her party to sell uranium to India following the Indo-US Nuclear pact.
The opposition party's assertion came after BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said that in 2010, Australia refused to sell uranium to India, but under Modi's leadership, the two countries have struck a uranium export agreement.
Rejecting the BJP's assertions, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "The BJP ecosystem is on an overdrive to show that Australia's uranium sales to India are a Modi breakthrough. On Dec 4 2011, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard got approval of her party to sell uranium to India following the India-US Nuclear Agreement of Oct 2008."
"The BJP trolls that include some of its MPs too need to do their homework better," he said and shared a screenshot of media reports from December 2011 that stated that Australia's Labour Party had endorsed plans to open up uranium sales to India.
Earlier, Malviya said, "In 2010, Australia refused to sell uranium to India, citing our non-signatory status to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Today, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, India and Australia have struck a uranium export agreement."
"This isn't just about uranium. It reflects India's transformed global standing. From being viewed through the prism of restrictions to being treated as a trusted strategic partner," Malviya said on X.
Ramesh on Thursday had said the Congress creates turning points while the BJP specialises in "U-turning points". His swipe at the ruling party had come after India and Australia sealed a pact on civil nuclear energy.
Ramesh said the pact between India and Australia has been made possible only because of the US-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement that finally became law on October 8, 2008, which the BJP "had all along opposed".
On Thursday, India and Australia sealed a raft of landmark pacts spanning civil nuclear energy, maritime security and critical minerals sectors, as Prime Minister Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese reinforced the vital role of the bilateral partnership in ensuring a peaceful Indo-Pacific.
Following the Modi-Albanese meeting, the two sides also unveiled an India-Australia joint declaration on defence and security, a joint statement on energy ties and a roadmap for collaboration in cyber, critical technologies and supply chains.
The pact on civil nuclear energy will facilitate the commercial supply of uranium from Australia to India to help New Delhi's nuclear power projects.
Open Questions
- Will the BJP continue to claim credit for past agreements?
- What is the long-term impact of these pacts on regional security?
