Through all the accusations and counter-accusations in Parliament, one name figured prominently - Strobe Talbott, who negotiated with the then foreign minister Jaswant Singh, in the aftermath of the second Pokharan tests. Talbott’s account of Indo-US interactions at the time, Engaging India: Diplomacy, Democracy and the Bomb, was brandished by both Pranab Mukherjee and Lalu Prasad Yadav, to set the record straight on Vajpayee’s assurances to the Clinton government on signing the CTBT.

Pranab Mukherjee: “Whether they will re-negotiate and whether they will have re-negotiation on the equal terms or not, I am not going to that aspect to speculate... sometimes, we draw our conclusions from what has happened in the past, because that is on record. To me, there is a record; we have, after the second Pokharan test, the recorded speech of the then PM, in the General Assembly of the United Nations. From these records we find that we are de facto going to sign CTBT; it is a matter of time to put it de jure... These are the records — something has come in print. The principal negotiator, on behalf of the USA with our Foreign Minister, Strobe Talbott — the book is available; it is in the market.”

Lalu Prasad Yadav: “Jaswantji -

Talbott, what has he written? You must read what he’s written here, you are all educated people... I will read the relevant part (reads) ‘Jaswant, visibly taken aback by Sandy’s vehemence, insisted that Vajpayee had made an irreversible decision to sign the CTBT’. This means that we cannot contradict the decision. Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee has taken this decision. When and where, let this be announced, it is not just Jaswantji, but Vajpayee’s speech is on UN record, stating that the CTBT must be signed.”

... contd.