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Lobbying for the deal

The U.S. seems to be getting into high gear to salvage the Indo-U.S. nuclear treaty. First, it was the U.S. Ambassador to India making the rounds in Delhi to lobby for the treaty; then, it was the Secretary of the Treasury pushing for it from the remote locales of West Bengal and even eulogising a communist leader in the process, and Nicholas Burns telling us that the agreement should go for Congress approval by the end of the year.

Along came the ageing Henry Kissinger, who has never had a kind word for India, to tell us that India’s international credibility would be at stake if it backs out of the deal. Finally, it was Condoleezza Rice asking us to hurry up adding that no renegotiation is possible. Isn’t it disappointing that a country of a billion people should be pressured to sign a treaty that it neither needs nor wants?

S. Kamat,

Bardez, Goa

Mr. Kissinger was never known to be a sympathiser of India. As the National Security Adviser to Richard Nixon, he ordered the Seventh Fleet into the Bay of Bengal during the Bangladesh war. With Pakistan being indispensable for his grandiose plan of détente with China, he considered India a thorn in the flesh. How can he be expected to speak for our country?

V.V.S. Mani,

Bangalore

The influx of top American retired and serving functionaries is a clear indication of the fact that the deal is heavily tilted in America’s favour. The continuous statements and warnings to India to sign the deal quickly are aimed at brainwashing the leadership and softening the opponents of the deal. With a majority of the UPA allies unwilling to toe its line, the government’s efforts to bend the opposition in its favour are surprising. It looks like the people will have to face a mid-term election which, in all probability, will bury the deal.

Capt. T. Raju (retd.),

Secunderabad

The nuclear deal with the U.S. will benefit India in every possible way. Besides helping to solve our energy crisis, it will enhance our position at the global level. The government should not let go of this opportunity to deal with the superpower.

Aniket Singh,

Mohali

CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat is evidently one of the few magnanimous political leaders. After building a strong platform against the Indo-U.S. civil nuclear deal, he has made it clear in a media interview that the Left’s objection to the deal is based on principle and is not directed against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He also expressed his respect for Mr. Singh’s personal integrity. A senior politician has shown that contentious political issues can be handled in a civilised manner.

K. Vijayakumar,

Bangalore

It needs no debate to accept the Prime Minister’s personal integrity. But in India, there must be at least a few million people who are guided by honesty and integrity. Would the media and the guardians of democracy explain how a commoner is supposed to reconcile the Prime Minister’s integrity with the fact that under his leadership, all the people’s issues have been treated indifferently thanks to the advent of the market, also heralded by the same leadership?

Dr. Singh is voluntarily accepting subservience by batting for the nuclear deal which is nothing more than following the diktats of a crude, powerful state.

Pravin S. Joshi,

Pune

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