New Delhi: Strongly supporting the India-United States nuclear deal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday that the move would widen the country's energy options and reduce its dependence on depleting hydrocarbons.

The nuclear deal is all about "widening human choices," he said in his reply in the Rajya Sabha to the short-duration discussion. The primary motivation of the deal was energy, and defence came much later. Conventional sources of energy such as oil and coal were also hazardous to the environment, apart from being non-renewable.

If India's economy has to grow at 8-10 per cent, "we have to take care of the growing energy needs." Although nuclear energy will not answer all the problems, it would give a wider energy option.

Dr. Singh pointed out that security concerns in the neighbourhood were also worrying. "We have legitimate security concerns. These are uncertain and unpredictable." This country must think big, and the path "that I have developed is the right path."

Many of the concerns shown by the members of the House were born out of genuine concerns, and nothing would be done that would have a bearing on national sentiments.

"We are unswerving in our national and foreign policy... having good relations with the U.S. is in our national interest."

On criticism that the deal would restrain in perpetuity India's freedom of action, he said, "The nuclear agreement will not be allowed to be used as a backdoor method of introducing NPT-type restrictions on India."

On the provision that Washington would have the right to cease further cooperation if India detonated a nuclear device, Dr. Singh said the U.S. had been told that any reference to nuclear testing as a condition for future cooperation was "not acceptable to us."

On the reference to Iran in the U.S. bill, he said, "We reject the linkage of any extraneous issue to the nuclear understanding." — UNI, PTI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail