New Delhi, Sept 4 : The Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government has rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) charge of having surrendered the country’s right to conduct nuclear tests to the United States.

The Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma while terming the BJP’s charges as preposterous said, “India reserves its right to conduct nuclear tests under the 123 Agreement.”

The government was forced to issue clarification after details of the letter sent by the Bush administration to the US Congress were revealed.

The letter, made public by Republican Howard L. Berman, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, says, "The fuel supply assurances are not, however, meant to insulate India against the consequences of a nuclear explosive test or a violation of nonproliferation commitments."

The letter was a reply to 45 technical questions that US Congressmen had put to Berman''s predecessor, the late Tom Lantos.

Following the BJP’s attack on the government the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had remarked that he was in a ‘dilemma’ as the letter being reported by the media was in conflict with what was stated by Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee. "I will study this properly before I can react", Mulayam Singh said.

The Congress felt it necessary to clarify and allay Mulayam’s fears.

Earlier, the BJP accused the Prime Minister of misleading Parliament and the country on the civil nuclear deal issue.

They further went on to say that it was now crystal clear that India will lose the right to conduct nuclear tests forever as a result of the Indo-US Nuclear agreement. (ANI)