New Delhi, July 10: The Congress on Friday hit back at the BJP for projecting that Australia’s uranium sales to India are Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s breakthrough as it 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 grand old party’s remarks 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.
In a post.on X, Congress General Secretary and Communication in-charge rejected the BJP’s claim and 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,” Ramesh said and also shared a some of the media reports from December 2011 that stated that Australia’s Labour Party had endorsed plans to open up uranium sales to India.
Later in the day, Ramesh again took pot shot at the Prime Minister and said, “Award-Jeevi has proudly announced that Australia is to supply uranium to India. This has been made possible ONLY because of the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement that finally became law on October 8, 2008. It was Dr. Manmohan Singh’s meeting with President George Bush in July 2005 that had kickstarted the negotiations.”
The Congress leader.pointed out that the “BJP had all along opposed this transformative accord both in Parliament and outside”.
“The Congress creates turning points while the BJP specialises in U-turning points,” Ramesh added
Earlier in the day, Malviya in a post on X claimed, “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.
India and Australia on Thursday 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.
ENDS