NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 6: Breaking the ice with the BJP, the UPA government has made its first move towards addressing the principal Opposition party’s concerns on the nuclear deal. In the past 48 hours, National Security Advisor M K Narayanan and Department of Atomic Energy chief Anil Kakodkar have met Leader of Opposition L K Advani as well as BJP president Rajnath Singh to answer any questions, including those on the strategic weapons programme.

It’s learnt that the meeting with Advani lasted for over an hour. The BJP’s core group will meet tomorrow to discuss the matter in the light of these meetings, the efforts made by US Ambassador David Mulford and the lobbying by the NRI community which has strong links with the BJP.

For the record, on the sidelines of a function this evening, Advani said there is no change in the BJP position and all that it wanted to do is to make it clear that it does not hold an anti-US position.

“Our stand is that the government must obtain a sense of the House which would be possible through voting.” It may be noted that the government is not willing to put anything on vote but favours a discussion.

This reaching out to the BJP, sources said, has been prompted by former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra’s admission that this was the best possible deal India could get and that he would have no objections if the government was able to provide “credible guarantees” on the integrity and development of the nuclear weapons programme.

Making a shift from his earlier position on the nuclear deal, Mishra had told The Indian Express Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta on NDTV’s Walk the Talk that he did not see India getting such a deal under a Democrat Administration. “..The deal, which is offered, has been made the centrepiece of the strategic relationship. I don’t think the Clinton administration would have offered (such a deal). That is why I say it is a dilemma for a person like me who is worried about the strategic programme and also the deal not going through,” said Mishra.