From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

BANGALORE, APRIL 22:  IN A SHARP contrast with its strident stand against the Congress-led UPA regime over the N-Deal issue, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani has now sought to soft-pedal the issue by contending that review of the Indo-US agreement would not be easy.

The BJP, which had voted against the Dr Manmohan Singh-led UPA regime in the trust vote on the N-deal in parliament along with the Left parties and had promised to renegotiate the deal if voted to power, has now argued that a sovereign agreement involving two countries cannot be easily disregarded. ``A new government will have to carefully examine all issues,’’ Advani said.

Addressing a news conference in Bangalore on Tuesday, he remained non-committal on whether the N-deal would help in overcoming the country’s long-felt energy needs.  ``I would not like to say anything on the issue at this stage and leave the entire issue to be dealt with by the new government taking into consideration all aspects,’’ he said arguing that governance was a continuing issue.

Advani was, however, highly critical of the stand taken by the Congress and the two Communist parties when the BJP-led NDA regime conducted the Pokhran test on the ground that it would  harm the country’s interests by inviting economic sanctions from the US and other Western countries. ``It is ironical that the Left parties had no objection to China and Russia continuing with their nuclear programmes or the Congress party cosying upto the US,’’he said pointing out that BJP did not have any objection to India and US having cordial relations as both were prominent democracies.

But the Vajpayee-led NDA regime was undeterred and overcame the sanctions, Advani said.

Inc identally, Advani, in a rare gesture, visited the residence of former union minister C K Jaffer Sharief along with Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and BJP national general secretary Ananth Kumar and offered condolences to the senior Congress leader and his family on the deah of Sharief’s son Kareem (52) after a brief illness on Monday.