08-25-2007, 12:28 AM
Media Watch - M.V. Kamath
Nuke issue unites ideological rivals
Friday, August 24, 2007 11:47:48 IST
A fallout of the 123 Agreement between India and the US may be that international treaties and bilateral agreements will have to be approved in Parliament
for :
Few issues in recent times have attracted so much media attention as the 123 Agreement between the United States and India. Interestingly enough, for once the Left Parties seem to be in agreement with the BJP. The Indian Express (August 8) reported that the Left Parties have joined the growing chorus of opposition to the civil nuclear pact under the heading: 123 Not Right, say Left. The report said that âin words that recalled the BJPâs condemnation of the dealâ the Left Parties have pledged to âpress for a constitutional amendment for bringing international treaties and bilateral agreements for approval in Parliamentâ.
The strongest media support came editorially from The Hindu (August 6) which said of the agreement that âit is sound and honourable and âthe assurances provided to Parliament by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2006 have been fulfilled virtually in their entiretyâ. In a full-length editorial the paper however admitted that ârealism demands that we recognise the limitations of the 123 agreementâ, noting that âwe must not allow the 123 to become new leverage to pull India deeper into the US strategic embrace, especially in the military and political spheresâ. It also said that while the Manmohan Singh government deserves âfull creditâ for negotiating an agreement that is âindisputably to the advantage of Indiaâs nuclear programme and energy sector,â it needs to be reminded âthat its breakthrough will count for little if it turns out that the hidden cost is a further erosion of external independenceâ.
The critique
From reports appearing in the media it is clear that the government is trying its best to convince the public that the agreement is good for the country, an opinion not shared by many scientists. Thus, writing in The Indian Express,A. N. Prasad, a former Director of BARC has taken strong â and logically argued â exception to the treaty, saying that âWe are now in effect reduced to a mere recipient state mandated by the Hyde Act to carry out a set of doâs and donâts and strive to earn a good behaviour report card to become eligible to continue receiving what they (US) can offerâ¦â. The Pioneer (July 31) carried two articles, one by Satish Chandra which was extremely damning and another by C.P. Bhambri which plainly said that âThe UPA government, for extremely wrong reasons, has put all its eggs in the American basket.â Satish Chandra damned the Hyde Act saying that it, âmakes US cooperation conditional on many humiliating provisions restricting the independence of Indian foreign policy,â keeping India âunder constant threat of termination of cooperationâ. He also charged that, âThe grease lubricating the nuclear deal is the prospect of multi-billion dollar contracts (with US firms) not just for nuclear reactors but also for arms purchasesâ.
Perhaps the strongest criticism of the deal is in an article that appeared in The Hindu, written by someone who âhas had a long association with Indiaâs technological establishment and prefers a discussion of the issues rather than his identity.â Obviously, he is a top scientist who does not want to be recognised by the government. The author expressed his surprise that âcommentators seem to be outdoing even the party spokesman in praising the governmentâ adding that âin the case of the India-US nuclear deal, one must concede that the P.R. machine has been phenomenally effectiveâ. It is almost unbelievable. The attack against the BJP â and more especially the Left â has become vicious. The Times of India (August 9) while conceding that âThere are hurdles still ahead for the agreement (and) it has to be endorsed by US Congress, the International Atomic Energy Agency and Nuclear Suppliersâ Groupâ damned the Left saying that âit is a ritual with the Left to oppose the government while continuing to support it from outside (and) apparently it does not prevent them from making common cause with the BJP which it otherwise claims to detestâ.
The Left incidentally deserves condemnation for various reasons but surely not on this ground. Why has Congress been courting the Left if it doesnât trust it? If the point is made that out ânational sovereigntyâ is being sold, according to Jug Suraiya (writing in The Times of India) ânational sovereignty is a portmanteau termâ considering that âsometimes more weightage has to be given to one word and less to the otherâ â and one hasnât come across a more strange logic. Suraiya proceeds to damn the CPI which originally dismissed Indiaâs freedom struggle as a âbourgeois movementâ which it wouldnât âtouch with an ideological bargepole borrowed from the Soviet Unionâ.
Kowtowing media
What has that got to do with the 123 agreement? And what was The Times of Indiaâs own role in pre-independence days? The Indian Express (August 9) was equally vicious. As its editorial put it: âIf the BJP was utterly opportunistic in attacking the nuclear deal with the United States, crude anti-Americanism masquerading as anti-imperialism has pushed the CPM into embracing what it calls right-wing ultra-nationalistsâ. The CPI-CPM deserves strong criticism, but should this be on the issue of the nuclear deal? Indian scientists are sulking. A certain kind of terrorism has been unleashed against them to silence them, which is a frightening thought. Are we allowing freedom of thought and expression or is the government trying to shut off any opposition? What are we coming to?
If the Express is to be believed, mot of the CPMâs arguments like those of the BJP are a deliberate misreading and misinterpretation of the Hyde Act. According to it âthe Congress leadership, however, must have the courage of conviction to call the CPMâs political bluffâ. âWhat is at stakeâ said the Express âis not merely nuclear cooperation with the US, but the very history and legitimacy of Congressâs claim to defending Indiaâs national interestsâ. Amen. What all this amounts to is to strangle discussions, impose one view on the country held sacrosanct and turn Indian democracy into a mockery. Have we forgotten 1975 and the Emergency? Canât someone argue contrary to the will of the government without being told to shut up? Is political wisdom the monopoly of any one part that every citizen has to accept without questioning? Shades of Sanjay Gandhi! One thought India has grown up. Apparently times havenât changed. Nor has the kowtowing media.
Nuke issue unites ideological rivals
Friday, August 24, 2007 11:47:48 IST
A fallout of the 123 Agreement between India and the US may be that international treaties and bilateral agreements will have to be approved in Parliament
for :
Few issues in recent times have attracted so much media attention as the 123 Agreement between the United States and India. Interestingly enough, for once the Left Parties seem to be in agreement with the BJP. The Indian Express (August 8) reported that the Left Parties have joined the growing chorus of opposition to the civil nuclear pact under the heading: 123 Not Right, say Left. The report said that âin words that recalled the BJPâs condemnation of the dealâ the Left Parties have pledged to âpress for a constitutional amendment for bringing international treaties and bilateral agreements for approval in Parliamentâ.
The strongest media support came editorially from The Hindu (August 6) which said of the agreement that âit is sound and honourable and âthe assurances provided to Parliament by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2006 have been fulfilled virtually in their entiretyâ. In a full-length editorial the paper however admitted that ârealism demands that we recognise the limitations of the 123 agreementâ, noting that âwe must not allow the 123 to become new leverage to pull India deeper into the US strategic embrace, especially in the military and political spheresâ. It also said that while the Manmohan Singh government deserves âfull creditâ for negotiating an agreement that is âindisputably to the advantage of Indiaâs nuclear programme and energy sector,â it needs to be reminded âthat its breakthrough will count for little if it turns out that the hidden cost is a further erosion of external independenceâ.
The critique
From reports appearing in the media it is clear that the government is trying its best to convince the public that the agreement is good for the country, an opinion not shared by many scientists. Thus, writing in The Indian Express,A. N. Prasad, a former Director of BARC has taken strong â and logically argued â exception to the treaty, saying that âWe are now in effect reduced to a mere recipient state mandated by the Hyde Act to carry out a set of doâs and donâts and strive to earn a good behaviour report card to become eligible to continue receiving what they (US) can offerâ¦â. The Pioneer (July 31) carried two articles, one by Satish Chandra which was extremely damning and another by C.P. Bhambri which plainly said that âThe UPA government, for extremely wrong reasons, has put all its eggs in the American basket.â Satish Chandra damned the Hyde Act saying that it, âmakes US cooperation conditional on many humiliating provisions restricting the independence of Indian foreign policy,â keeping India âunder constant threat of termination of cooperationâ. He also charged that, âThe grease lubricating the nuclear deal is the prospect of multi-billion dollar contracts (with US firms) not just for nuclear reactors but also for arms purchasesâ.
Perhaps the strongest criticism of the deal is in an article that appeared in The Hindu, written by someone who âhas had a long association with Indiaâs technological establishment and prefers a discussion of the issues rather than his identity.â Obviously, he is a top scientist who does not want to be recognised by the government. The author expressed his surprise that âcommentators seem to be outdoing even the party spokesman in praising the governmentâ adding that âin the case of the India-US nuclear deal, one must concede that the P.R. machine has been phenomenally effectiveâ. It is almost unbelievable. The attack against the BJP â and more especially the Left â has become vicious. The Times of India (August 9) while conceding that âThere are hurdles still ahead for the agreement (and) it has to be endorsed by US Congress, the International Atomic Energy Agency and Nuclear Suppliersâ Groupâ damned the Left saying that âit is a ritual with the Left to oppose the government while continuing to support it from outside (and) apparently it does not prevent them from making common cause with the BJP which it otherwise claims to detestâ.
The Left incidentally deserves condemnation for various reasons but surely not on this ground. Why has Congress been courting the Left if it doesnât trust it? If the point is made that out ânational sovereigntyâ is being sold, according to Jug Suraiya (writing in The Times of India) ânational sovereignty is a portmanteau termâ considering that âsometimes more weightage has to be given to one word and less to the otherâ â and one hasnât come across a more strange logic. Suraiya proceeds to damn the CPI which originally dismissed Indiaâs freedom struggle as a âbourgeois movementâ which it wouldnât âtouch with an ideological bargepole borrowed from the Soviet Unionâ.
Kowtowing media
What has that got to do with the 123 agreement? And what was The Times of Indiaâs own role in pre-independence days? The Indian Express (August 9) was equally vicious. As its editorial put it: âIf the BJP was utterly opportunistic in attacking the nuclear deal with the United States, crude anti-Americanism masquerading as anti-imperialism has pushed the CPM into embracing what it calls right-wing ultra-nationalistsâ. The CPI-CPM deserves strong criticism, but should this be on the issue of the nuclear deal? Indian scientists are sulking. A certain kind of terrorism has been unleashed against them to silence them, which is a frightening thought. Are we allowing freedom of thought and expression or is the government trying to shut off any opposition? What are we coming to?
If the Express is to be believed, mot of the CPMâs arguments like those of the BJP are a deliberate misreading and misinterpretation of the Hyde Act. According to it âthe Congress leadership, however, must have the courage of conviction to call the CPMâs political bluffâ. âWhat is at stakeâ said the Express âis not merely nuclear cooperation with the US, but the very history and legitimacy of Congressâs claim to defending Indiaâs national interestsâ. Amen. What all this amounts to is to strangle discussions, impose one view on the country held sacrosanct and turn Indian democracy into a mockery. Have we forgotten 1975 and the Emergency? Canât someone argue contrary to the will of the government without being told to shut up? Is political wisdom the monopoly of any one part that every citizen has to accept without questioning? Shades of Sanjay Gandhi! One thought India has grown up. Apparently times havenât changed. Nor has the kowtowing media.