Kalam roots for PM on Indo-US nuke deal

New Delhi: Former president APJ Abdul Kalam has backed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's civil nuclear cooperation initiative with the United States and said the Indo-US nuclear deal holds much importance to India's future. "It's unique, what he has done," Kalam said on Monday.

Kalam's endorsement came at a time when the Left parties have again upped their ante against the deal and warned the government of facing a 'crisis' if it went ahead with its operationalisation.

Asked whether he thought scientists opposing the deal were going too far, Kalam, who demitted office in July, evaded a direct response. "Fortunately, in our democratic set-up, scientists can always approach at the highest level."

The 75-year-old nuclear scientist also did not feel that the scientists were being ignored. "I didn't feel like that at all. Whatever has happened is (for) good," Kalam responded when his view was sought on the deal on which the Prime Minister had consulted him.

Kalam said that he had met the Prime Minister before "finishing my assignment (as President)" and highlighted the importance of thorium reactors. "I told the Prime Minister that thorium reactors are very important," he said.

The Prime Minister too agreed that progress must be made on that front, the former President said.

Expressing his anguish over the repeated turmoil in the Parliament, Kalam said, "Parliament has to function. There may be lot of differences, but Parliament has to function."

"When the Rajya Sabha or the Lok Sabha are in session, people watch, particularly young people. Those in Parliament have to be role models for them," he said.

Kalam was candid on being asked whether he thought his decision to return the Office of Profit Bill to the Parliament had cost him a second term in office.

"Well, I don't care about it. That's not the issue. What I am concerned about are the people. The people were after me (for a second term). So I had to consider that," he said.

Kalam had good words for both Manmohan Singh and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who led the NDA regime. "Each of them has a unique core competence," he noted.

(With PTI inputs)