The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Indo-U.S. nuclear deal

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Friday, Jul 11, 2008
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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Indo-U.S. nuclear deal

This refers to the editorial “What’s in store now?” (July 10) The UPA government, in its last year in office, has demonstrated that it will go ahead with the Indo-U.S. civil nuclear deal at any cost. The manner in which it has gone about it — not making its contents known to even its supporting parties, sending the draft safeguards agreement with the IAEA to its Board despite saying it would do so only after winning a vote of confidence in Parliament — makes us wonder whether the deal is indeed meant for our benefit.

The apprehensions over the deal’s possible fallout on our foreign policy and sovereignty need to addressed. The out-of-the-way tactics and come-what-may attitude adopted by the government to get the deal through reflects its intent to bulldoze its way.

Mohamed Zafrulla Khan,

Bangalore

* * *

The government is hell-bent on finalising the nuclear deal irrespective of its consequences on its own survival, proceedings in Parliament and the man on the street. One shudders to think of how matters would have been had the Congress been in a majority in Parliament. It would have brushed aside all opposition and bulldozed its way on important matters affecting the country.

R. Ramachandra Rao,

Hyderabad

* * *

CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat is right in saying the UPA government led by the Congress is callous towards the people. The government did not show even the basic respect of sharing the details of the nuclear deal with the Left parties while they were still supporting it. It has betrayed the people by going to the IAEA without proving its majority in Parliament.

Ansar Ali,

Ernakulam

* * *

It was not correct on the part of the Left parties to withdraw their support to the government when our Prime Minister was on a visit abroad.

A. Nicodemus,

Coimbatore

* * *

The Left parties held back the government from taking major steps on the economic front. Though their views deserve due consideration, they should change their conservative approach.

P. Senthil Saravana Durai,

Tuticorin

* * *

When the IAEA does not restrict India from circulating the draft safeguards agreement to anyone it likes, why did the UPA government refuse to make it public earlier?

K. Ganapathi,

Coimbatore

* * *

The UPA government’s obsession with the nuclear deal has overtaken the legitimate concerns expressed by the Left parties. That a sizeable number of our civilian nuclear reactors are to be placed in perpetuity under the IAEA supervision, with no reference in the 123 agreement to what would happen if and when the nuclear assistance were to be stopped by the U.S., is absurd. The clause in the Hyde Act which bars India from conducting nuclear tests in future will indirectly make us conform to the CTBT. The requirement of annual certification by the U.S. President will force the Indian government to kowtow to the U.S.

Syed Sultan Mohiddin,

Kadapa

* * *

The report “India sends safeguards agreement to IAEA Board” (July 10), which says the IAEA rules do not prevent the government from sharing the draft safeguards agreements with anybody, confirms the government’s duplicity. The Congress was either lying or it was ignorant of the provision. Either way, its action smacks of irresponsibility towards the nation.

Ikbal Hussain Ahmed,

New Delhi

* * *

Right from the beginning of the UPA’s term, the nuclear deal has remained the most contentious issue. The government has failed to strike a fair deal with the U.S. I think the Left has taken the right decision.

Anaswara,

Chengannur

* * *

India is facing a serious energy crisis and high energy prices. Nuclear energy is the best available choice. The nuclear deal, therefore, should be welcomed. Political parties should stop exploiting the situation arising from the government’s decision to sign the deal.

A.S. Shyama,

Thiruvananthapuram

* * *

One good thing about the whole issue has been that, apart from the BJP, all the political parties on the forefront of the debate have stuck to their stand. The Congress, which backed the deal from the beginning, is going ahead with it. The other UPA partners including the RJD, the NCP and the DMK have consistently backed the government. The Left, which threatened to withdraw support if the government went ahead with the deal, has indeed pulled the plug. And the SP, whose sudden tie-up with Congress may seem unprincipled, is also actually sticking to its anti-communal stand.

The BJP is the only party which has taken a stand that is diametrically opposite to what it took when it was leading the NDA government. The trust vote in Parliament presents an opportunity to the party to re-establish its credibility. It should abstain from the vote and let the government stay.

Gaurav Dua,

New Delhi

* * *

The disclosure of the text of the IAEA agreement would have made little difference to the Left parties’ stand on the nuclear deal. As for the BJP, it would have signed a much inferior agreement had it been in power and touted it as a major achievement. Its opposition to the Patents Bill and reluctance to implement VAT show that it is driven more by political expediency than the courage of conviction.

R. Ravichandran,

Chennai

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