New Delhi: Leader of the opposition L K Advani on Sunday reiterated BJP's opposition to the India-US nuclear deal, saying it barred New Delhi from further tests. But Brajesh Mishra, national security adviser in the previous NDA government, contradicted the stand in an interview to a TV channel. "We are not barred from undertaking tests if we are ready to pay the cost of sanctions,' Brajesh Mishra said and noted that the deal had to be signed "now' as it would be difficult to do after change of government in the US. Asked about BJP's opposition to the deal on the premise that it barred India from conducting tests, Mishra said, "In my view, we are not restricted from carrying out tests, and more or less, the programme we had devised before we left the NDA government is ongoing.' Specifically asked whether the UPA government should proceed with the deal despite opposition from BJP and the Left parties, he said, "That is a political question... my personal view is that given the harmful effects of not going ahead, perhaps we should go ahead and do it.' He said failure of the deal would be a "severe loss of face' for India, both domestically and internationally. "Having promoted the deal in India and abroad, not to go through with it is a loss of face for India.' Mishra said India's three-stage nuclear programme would also "suffer a setback' if the deal fell through. "Obviously, dual-use technology will not be available to us if we don't go through with this and, of course, it is a setback,' he said. Mishra also said that India would have to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the option of nuclear tests was bound to be closed. "CTBT is equal for all. There is no discriminatory treatment in it. Which is why if other countries mentioned in the treaty ratify, India can't hold back. India will have to sign it and we will have no argument to go against it,' he said. Brajesh Mishra