IS THE INDO-US NUCLEAR DEAL HEADING FOR A LEFT GUILLOTINE?


The nuclear deal, which had been signed by Manmohan Singh, the Indian Prime Minister, with President Bush, is now under the Left threat. Do not proceed ahead..the Left leaders have threatened, or we will pull the carpet from under your feet.

Two things need to be understood...what are the concerns of the Left and why has Left taken such a long time to issue such an ultimatum to the government it supports from outside.

The Left says that Hyde Act impinges upon the soveriegnity of India and is unacceptable. The Hyde Act was enacted by the US Congress to explicitly poromote ‘nuclear cooperation’ between India and the US and enable them to sign an agreement under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act, 1954. It is highly significant that the Agreement does not mention the Hyde Act at all. This is all the more so because it mentions other documents such as the Indo-US Joint Statement of July 18, 2005, repeatedly; the IAEA’s statute, its document on ‘The Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities’ and the convention on the ‘Physical protection of Nuclear Material’. These are international instruments accepted by both sides. References to them constitute, in legal parlance, incorporation into the agreement by reference. In contrast, India is not bound by the Hyde Act, which is why the agreement does not refer to it even once. The omission is deliberate and of legal consequence. Then why is the Left shouting from the roof top that the soveriegnity of the country has been compromised?

Let us now analyse what this agreement means to India. The agreement removes all hurdles faced by India in procuring nuclear technology and fuel for good. Moreover, all other current restrictions on India's access to America's high and dual technologies will also be withdrawn as a result. New Delhi will be able to do much more business with the US in fields barred to Indians hitherto, with the expectation that the volume of trade between the two countries will double within the next two years from the current US$ 24 billion.The agreement is a win-win situation from the Indian point of view. India will be able to build more nuclear power plants. At present it has 15 functional plants with an additional seven under construction. India stuck to it guns during the course of tough negotiations. It did not agree to open all its nuclear facilities to international inspection. Instead, it ingeniously divided its facilities into "civilian" and "military" ones and agreed to open only the former to international inspection. New Delhi thinks that the nuclear energy is the answer to its ever-growing needs for power. With this deal India will not have to depend totally on foreign oil and gas for its increasing energy needs. A recent Pentagon report described India as a "key strategic partner". US wants to engage India in its global schemes. India is already a military partner of the US. Since 2001 it has carried out 35 joint military exercises at sea, land and air, both in the US and in India. Indian Navy ships are already providing escort and security facilities to the American military ships passing through the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean on their way to and from the Pacific through the Straits of Malacca in Southeast Asia. The only rationale behind the ongoing joint military drills is that there are certain plans for joint Indo-American military action in future. The US wants to promote India to counter China in Asia. This kind of cooperation does not go down well with Asia's emerging giant as well as with many popular and political forces within India. New Delhi has also successfully sold to the US the idea that a democratic India is a great ally against the Islamic terrorism America is fighting at present.The withdrawal of sanctions against New Delhi will help India in many ways. It will open the gates for Indo-US cooperation in lucrative space research and scientific cooperation in many fields which are currently barred to Indians. The US has refused to offer a similar deal to Pakistan. India, Washington says, has demonstrated that it is a responsible nuclear power. Pakistan, on the other hand, is accused of helping nuclear proliferation.

Does this not lead to the conclusion that Left is trying to tow the China line. It is trying to scuttle the agreement so that the hegemony of China within Asia remains un-challenged. Who is acting in the interest of the country - Dr. Manmohan Singh or the Left?

Now, coming to the next question, why did the Left take so much time to issue an ultimatum. After all, the nuclear deal is not an overnight development. It has taken years of tough negtiations to get the US to agree our terms and conditions. But the Left wanted to wait till the elections of the President and Vice-President were over. Somewhere, at the back of their mind was a desire to see a Communist or someone from West Bengal being elected as President / Vice President. This is not fair Comrade Karat. You should have raised your voice, like you are raising now, long back when the agreement was being signed. That would have shown your sincerity and nationalism, if you may call it so. But you preferred to keep quiet then. You tried all the tricks at your command to see that the person you wanted to become the President / Vice President is elected. You only know how much you succeeded in that. Do you think the people of India will not be able to understand your designs?

Come on, be a sport, Comrade Karat. Try to understand what is in the interest of India rather than promoting the interest of China.