The Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, has defended the proposal for an India-U.S. agreement to promote co-operation in the field of defence as well as nuclear technological development. He denied that the present Government had deviated from the national policy or violated any provision of the Common Minimum Programme of the United Progressive Alliance.

Mr. Mukherjee was interacting with reporters, after presiding over a function for installing the newly-appointed president of the Punjab unit of the Congress here on Wednesday.

He said that the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, during his U.S. visit, had not deviated from the country's position on the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT), which India continues to term as "flawed and partisan."He said neither that nor India's interest had been compromised.

On criticism from the Left parties, Mr. Mukherjee said that though all parties were entitled to their own opinion, the defence policy of the country, which has been endorsed by successive governments, was drafted and put in place by the Congress. The Minister reminded that India had similar arrangements with Russia, France and the U.K. as well.

Replying to another query related to a media reports quoting the Chief of Army Staff, J.J. Singh, the Minister reiterated that the India had "definite" information about functional terrorist training camps, across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK).