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Nuclear deal with US : PM emerges stronger

	March 06, 2006

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has emerged stronger on the political horizon after last week’s path breaking nuclear deal with the United States. Despite his soft image, he was able to clinch a deal, which protected most of India’s core interests. While opening the way for lifting of sanctions on India’s nuclear programme, the deal ensured that the country has flexibility in dealing with future events and scenario and all its options are not closed, if the international situation undergoes a drastic change. Sixty-five per cent of the country’s nuclear reactors will be under international safeguards, to be enforced by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) while the remaining can be used for military purposes. More important, the prototype fast breeder reactor will not be under international safeguards. This will enable India to enrich uranium and thorium, keeping the way open for meeting he fuel and technology needs of both the civilian and military sectors, if need be.



The Prime Minister spelt out the Government’s stand on the nuclear issue in a statement in Parliament on Monday, Feb. 27, before President Bush’s arrival in India on a three-day state visit. He said in negotiations with Washington, New Delhi had proposed to put 65 per cent of its functional nuclear power reactors in the civilian sector, but the fast breeder reactor programme will not be placed under international supervision. He made it clear that the decision on facilities to be identified as civilian will be made by India alone, and not by anyone else. Dr. Manmohan Singh underscored the fact that the Indo-US nuclear deal will help meet the country’s energy needs to power a ten per cent growth rate of the economy.



Observers say that the Prime Minister’s suo motu statement helped to dispel doubts even among several Congress leaders who may have been chary of voicing them, unlike the Opposition NDA and the Left allies. AICC spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said, “The Prime Minister’s statement is comprehensive. It should reinforce the clear view that the interests of India have been kept paramount and nothing would be done contrary to the consistent course of 60-years of Indian foreign policy. All apprehensions were clearly misplaced and speculative.”



Coming ahead of the US President’s visit, the statement offered relief to Congressmen worried about the impact of the Left campaign - that the foreign policy displayed a pro-US tilt - on their Muslim supporters.



The CPI(M) said that the Prime Minister has finally addressed the issues - of an independent nuclear policy among others - that the Left parties had been vociferous about. “Yes, these were precisely the issues we wanted the Prime Minister to talk about. We were increasingly feeling embarrassed that some US officials knew more about the contours of the nuclear deal than the Indians. Our sense of indignation was getting higher. But these have been addressed,” CPI(M)’s Nilotpal Basu said.



The CPI was more cautious. Secretary D. Raja said the Prime Minister should repeat to the visiting US President what he told Parliament.





Tough task ahead



Though the Prime Minister was able to clinch a good deal with the United States, he faces a tough task in selling it to the country, especially the Left parties and allies like the Samajwadi Party. Massive protests all over the country organised by the Left parties and others, including Muslim groups, against President Bush’s visit make this evident. In the national capital, thousands of people held anti-Bush and anti-US demonstrations on March 1 and 2. On the first day, mainly Muslim groups organised the protests. On March 2, political leaders, social workers, Left party workers and students from across the country gathered at the historic Ramlila Ground in New Delhi to march against the US President’s visit. The rally started at around noon from the Ramlila Ground and ended at Jantar Mantar in Connaught Place where several political leaders addressed the demonstrators.



Opposing the Government decision to support Bush, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan said, “To make new relations and new friends, the Government should not forget its traditional allies. as far as Iran is concerned, the US is following in the footsteps of what it did in Iraq.” Commenting on the visit of the US President, CPI(M) leader Dipankar Mukherjee said, “The US wants to repeat in Iran what it did in Iraq. The Indian government should be cautious about what it is doing.”



Thousands of students from several universities and colleges participated in the rally. Street plays were performed with protesters playing the roles of George Bush, Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi. Lashing out at Bush, Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy said, “He was responsible for what happened in Iraq and its continued devastation.”



The anti-Bush protests in Lucknow turned violent following a dispute between protesters and shopkeepers in a business locality of Lucknow on Friday, March 3. The situation took a communal turn after mobs from two communities confronted each other at several places and indulged in arson and brick-batting. The violence continued for over four hours before police could drive away the rioters. The death toll in the incident has risen to three while several others were injured.



The old city of Hyderabad also witnessed violent incidents on Friday, March 3, the day when President Bush was visiting the Andhra Pradesh capital. The trouble broke out when a group of youngsters rushed out of the Mecca Masjid raising slogans. Several people were injured in stone pelting.



The UPA’s own allies stalled Parliament for some time on Thursday, March 2, protesting against the Bush visit. These parties included the Left Front, Janata Dal (Secular) and Samajwadi Party. In the Lok Sabha, soon after the obituary references, members belonging to the supporting parties moved into the well of the House, raising slogans. The Deputy Speaker was forced to adjourn the House till 2 p.m. The Rajya Sabha witnessed a similar situation. Before Parliament assembled for the day, about 100 MPs belonging to three supporting parties gathered at the main entrance in the Parliament complex and staged a sit-in and raised slogans against President Bush. The MPs termed Bush as the “biggest enemy of humanity” and “biggest killer of the 21st century.” Left MPs said that President Bush’s visit to the country amounted to an affront to the Indian Parliament which had unanimously adopted a resolution against the American invasion of Iraq.



The Prime Minister’s gesture of receiving President Bush at the airport, breaking protocol, also sparked off a controversy. The Left parties said that Dr. Manmohan Singh’s gesture is a breach of protocol and diplomatic conventions. BJP Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi criticised what he called “the extra-ordinary courtesies extended to President Bush compromising the nation’s self-respect, but the BJP later dissociated itself from Naqvi’s remarks. The party said these were his personal views and not of the party. Members belonging to both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party criticised the use of sniffer dogs to sanitise Rajghat for President Bush’s visit. BJP MPs called it an insult to the Father of the Nation. But Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachouri told the Rajya Sabha that normal security drills for a VIP visit had been followed at Rajghat. He said there was nothing extra-ordinary in the use of sniffer dogs to check for explosives.



PM to make statement on nuclear deal in Parliament



Several parties demanded in both Houses of Parliament on Friday, March 3, that the Government should come out with information on the nuclear deal worked out with the United States. CPI(M) leader Basudev Acharya said in the Lok Sabha, “When lakhs of people were demonstrating against the visit of US President George Bush, nuclear and other agreements were finalised keeping Parliament and the country in the dark. How is it historic.”



Ramjilal Suman (SP) sought to know whether the Government signed the agreements under pressure while Rup Chand Pal (CPI-M) said that according to reports “for all practical purposes, India has been brought under the NPT.”



Defence Minister and Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee said that since the Bush visit was still on at the time, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would make a statement this week.



Later at a press conference, CPI(M) leaders asked the Government to assure the people that the independence of India’s nuclear programme and the principle of reciprocity were maintained while signing the nuclear agreement.





Both friends and foes criticise vote on Iran



The Prime Minister’s statement on the Iran nuclear issue on Monday, Feb. 27, was followed by a debate in the Lok Sabha which witnessed the supporting parties, the CPI(M), CPI and Samajwadi Party warning the Government against an adverse fall out if it took an anti-Iran stand at the next IAEA meeting scheduled this week. But there was some comfort for the Government when the BJP offered it qualified support over the Iran vote. The BJP said that it was not against the vote but castigated the Government for mishandling it.



“We should have taken the decision in our national interests instead of procrastinating on the issue and giving an impression as if it was done under the US diktat,” BJP leaders said. They also accused the Government of not building consensus on the issue by keeping both the opposition and the allies informed.



While the Left was categorical in demanding abstention in the next voting of the IAEA the NDA appeared divided. The BJP wanted the Government to forge a national consensus. The JD(U) was for abstention.