The Hindu : Front Page : “India’s sovereignty compromised”

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Wednesday, Jul 22, 2009
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“India’s sovereignty compromised”

New Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: A government statement on the End-Use Monitoring Agreement (EUMA) between India and the United States in Parliament on Tuesday failed to satisfy Opposition parties, leading to a walkout after they charged the government with compromising sovereignty by allowing “intrusive” inspections of sensitive defence installations.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna made identical statements in both Houses, saying the agreement “systematises ad hoc arrangements for individual defence procurements from the U.S. entered into by previous governments.” The EUMA would “henceforth be referred to in letters of acceptance for Indian procurement of U.S. defence technology and equipment.”

Although the text of the agreement is not yet available, passionate arguments against it were made. Mr. Krishna in response said he was “surprised” at these interpretations. There was no question of the government diluting or bartering away the country’s freedom or sovereignty, as it was an agreement between two sovereign states relating to high-end defence purchases.

The issue was raised during zero hour in the Lok Sabha when Yashwant Sinha of the Bharatiya Janata Party demanded that the text be tabled and that the government not ratify the agreement. He asked why the U.S. should be allowed to inspect equipment sold to India, when there was no such agreement between India and other countries such as Russia and France.

Barrage of criticism

Basudeb Acharia of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Gurudas Dasgupta of the CPI, Mulayam Singh of the Samajwadi Party, and Lalu Prasad of the Rashtriya Janata Dal joined Mr. Sinha in describing the EUMA as “against the country’s interests” and a “Himalayan blunder,” while accusing the government of keeping Parliament and the country in the dark.

Sharad Yadav of the Janata Dal (United), M. Thambi Durai of the AIADMK, and Bhartuhari Mahtab of the Biju Janata Dal also joined the Opposition chorus, leading the government to promise a statement before the rising of the House.

When the statement was made, however, it was a bare listing of the agreements signed during the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Leaders of the Opposition in the two Houses L.K. Advani (Lok Sabha) and Arun Jaitley (Rajya Sabha) immediately cried foul and termed the agreement “disastrous.”

Sitaram Yechury of the CPI(M) said the agreement was part of a pattern — the virtual shelving of the India-Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline, indications of India supporting the U.S. rather than the developing countries in the Doha Round, and other signs of “compromising” its economic and political sovereignty.

Answer proves futile

Although Mr. Krishna departed from practice in the Lok Sabha and tried to answer the questions raised, all the unsatisfied parties — the BJP, the CPI(M), the CPI, the SP, and the AIADMK — walked out, with members in the Rajya Sabha following suit a little later.

Outside the House, the BJP’s Sushma Swaraj repeated the demand that the agreement be abrogated.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari was dismissive of the Opposition for displaying a lack of confidence in India’s ability to engage with the world.

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