Nuclear deal
The UPA government has said it will move forward with the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal only after seeking a vote of confidence in Parliament. Even if it wins, would it be proper to say the sense of the House favoured the deal? Small parties such as the TRS, the RLD and the JD(S) will play a key role in determining the outcome.
The TRS has openly said it will support the UPA only if it is given a firm assurance on a separate Telangana. The JD(S) has Karnataka politics in mind just as the Samajwadi Party is more concerned about U.P. Above all this, the Congress is bringing pressure on Mayawati through the CBI. Where is the nuclear deal in all this?
E.V. Tulasi Rao, Vijayawada
The merits and de-merits of nuclear deal aside, the UPA government’s know-all approach, in collusion with a few people in the scientific establishment, is shocking. The nuclear deal is a people’s issue, as it marks a turning point in our nuclear history. The government kept quiet all long, without forcing a public debate on it. Now it is rushing to close the deal, even while a majority has no understanding of the issue.
All talk of the Hyde Act being a domestic U.S. law is a sham. It is the enabling Act of the 123 agreement. It is a long noose woven around the 123 agreement and can be tightened at the U.S.’ will.
Balajee Rajaram, Chennai
It is painful to see that political parties, which raise a hue and cry over non-issues, are not raising their voice to save India from the catastrophic nuclear deal.
Almost all parties other than the Left are silent on the impending surrender of India’s sovereignty.
S. Radhakrishnan, Coimbatore
The Congress and its supporting parties claim that the nuclear deal is the best thing that has happened to India in a long time. On the other hand, the Left parties say it is the worst that can happen. The actual fact is somewhere in between. The people of India deserve to know the facts from a neutral and reliable body. You will do a great service by publishing the bare facts of the deal.
B.C. Bhowmick, Asansol
The UPA government’s decision to proceed with the nuclear deal is a bold step forward. When we look back at the history of development, we find that whenever our leaders have taken bold steps that contribute to the development of our country, they have been criticised.
Shibin Joseph, Kozhikode
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister has a point when he says that the draft safeguards agreement was sent to the IAEA before seeking a vote of confidence because that was the only way to make it public. The BJP’s continued reference to the Hyde Act makes little sense; such a piece of legislation could have been enacted by the U.S. even after signing the 123 agreement.
There is little India could have done about such a political manoeuvre. The best insurance against U.S. actions that can infringe upon our sovereignty lies in our strength and growing clout. The fact that the U.S. has made an exception for India, which is not a signatory to the NPT, and has declined to do so for Pakistan is proof that India’s strength is recognised.
S.K.N. Nair, Thiruvananthapuram
Americans have proved to be smarter than us as far as the 123 agreement is concerned because they discussed it threadbare, taking sufficient time. We, in India, should have also set the ball rolling on discussions to match their move. BJP leader L.K. Advani’s idea of bringing an equivalent of the Hyde Act here to insulate ourselves from its effects will not work.
The Indian equivalent can be enacted only after the deal is operationalised by the present government. The best thing to do is to put the deal in cold storage till either the Hyde Act is withdrawn or amended, or the Indian equivalent of the Hyde Act is passed by Parliament. We must do as Americans do in this case.
A. Perumal, Chennai
Many eminent scientists have pointed out that the nuclear deal is to India’s advantage because of the energy security it will provide and because nuclear energy is clean from the environmental point of view.
As for the government’s inability to contain inflation, we should understand that almost two-thirds of the world is reeling under double digit inflation and it is not of the UPA’s making.
Partha Chakravarthy, Bangalore
Tags: 123 agreement, hyde act, nuclear deal, nuke deal, Politics
