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Lobbying for the deal

It is surprising that not a day passes without America exerting pressure on India to expedite operationalisation of the civil nuclear deal. It is becoming clearer that Washington has an ulterior motive in making the deal a reality. The government should categorically let it be known to the U.S. that India will not take an appropriate decision on the matter until it is debated threadbare and the outcome of the UPA-Left committee is known.

T. Radhakrishna Menon,

Palakkad

The American moves to lobby for the nuclear deal have come at a wrong time. When a debate on Washington’s intent is raging in India, U.S.’ moves, combined with occasional warnings and mild threats, send wrong signals. Such lobbying, which is an unflinching part of the American political culture, is anathema to the Indian sensibilities.

M. Nasir Jawed,

New Delhi

Who stands to benefit from the deal is obvious from the hectic lobbying that is taking place in Delhi. First, President George Bush spoke to the Prime Minister over the phone. Then came a spate of high-profile visits by dignitaries including Henry Kissinger, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulson, and a group of Indian Americans. The Congress too is keen on pushing the deal. It is, therefore, sure to benefit the U.S., the NRIs and the Congress. But is it to the benefit of the vast majority of the people? Is all that it entails worthwhile given that it will fulfil only about seven per cent of our power requirement? Let some of our own experts answer this — not the U.S. President, Secretary of State, NRIs, or the Prime Minister.

M. Srinivasan,

Chennai

The former U.S. Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, is known for his anti-India posture. Why then is he seeking India’s cooperation to speed up the deal? Is not the American tactic akin to the act of a salesman pushing a customer to buy a bad product? The U.S. clearly wants to bind India to the deal so that its re-colonisation will be assured. Mr. Kissinger ought to be reminded of his comments on India and the Indians in the past and asked to go back.

Kalicharan Bhadrelok,

California

The U.S. has a dubious history of befriending a country as long as its interests are met. Saddam Hussein was its blue-eyed boy during the 1980s. Pakistan, decreed by it to help the Taliban fight against the Soviet forces in Afghanistan, is now being taunted for not doing enough to hunt it down. Washington’s newfound love for India is to contain China, on the one hand, and pursue its imperialist agenda in West Asia, on the other.

Syed Sultan Mohiddin,

Kadapa

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