Nuclear Thread - 3

[acharya]

Congress says it is committed to deal

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday said that it was committed to take forward the India-U.S. nuclear deal and would try to take on board “all sections” on it.

The party dismissed suggestions of any connection between the nuclear agreement and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s proposed visit to Japan for the G-8 meeting.
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“Going to the G-8 meeting is an international commitment of the government. It has no connection with the nuclear deal. It is not on the agenda of the meeting and it would be wrong to link the two,”</b> said party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan here.

Rejecting the charge of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was not following an independent foreign policy, Ms. Natarajan said country’s independent foreign policy was formulated and conceived by the Indian National Congress under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

The party had fought for independence unlike several other parties and <span style='color:blue'>had the “proud legacy, experience and expertise” of formulating an independent foreign policy. The Congress governments had contributed to the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and opposed the signing of CTBT and NTP.

“We reject any suggestion that the Prime Minister and the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, were not following an independent foreign policy as suggested in some quarters. We do not require any certificate on this,” she added. </span>

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Nothing new in his offer: Left

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Left parties on Monday said there was “nothing new” in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s offer of coming to Parliament before operationalising the nuclear deal with the United States.

They also reiterated that they would withdraw support to the government, the moment it goes ahead with the deal.

The common stand of the Left parties — CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc — is that Dr. Singh is trying to present a fait accompli to Parliament by seeking permission to complete the negotiations with the IAEA and the NSG.

Sources in the Left parties say that leaders of the four parties are likely to meet here on July 4 to discuss the situation and all possible scenarios, if the government decides to go ahead with the deal.

“There is nothing new [in the Prime Minister’s assurance]. Our Polit Bureau’s stand is very clear,” CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters.

The Polit Bureau has made it clear that the CPI(M), in concert with other Left parties, would pull out if the government goes ahead with the deal.

A statement reminded the government that the United Progressive Alliance-Left committee on nuclear deal has not yet finalised its findings.

“The Prime Minister has said there is nothing new in the Left stand. We are saying there is nothing new in his stand as well,” Polit Bureau member Sitram Yechury said.

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Manmohan: allow us to go to IAEA, NSG

Special Correspondent

“Once the process is over, I will bring it before Parliament and abide by the House”

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has offered to place before Parliament the civilian nuclear deal with the United States and to abide by the House, provided his government is allowed to complete the process of negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG).

“I have said it before. I will repeat it again that you allow us to complete the process. Once the process is over, I will bring it before Parliament and abide by the House,” he said on the side-lines of a function at his residence on Monday morning.

This is his first comment during the current stand-off with the Left.

“I am not asking for something that the government should not be doing. I am only saying you allow me to complete the negotiations. I agree to come to Parliament before I proceed to operationalise [the deal]. What can be more reasonable than this,” the Prime Minister asked.

Insisting that “all that I want is the authority to proceed with the process of negotiations through all stages like the IAEA and NSG that will not tie down the hands of the country,” Dr. Singh noted that the BJP and the Left parties would have an opportunity to discuss the deal in Parliament. “If Parliament feels you have done some wrong, so be it,” he said.

Asked about the Left’s stand of withdrawal of support to his government, the Prime Minister said “we will grapple with that stage when we come to it.”

Dr. Singh also refused to react to CPI(M) leader, Prakash Karat’s view that the current crisis was precipitated by the Prime Minister’s insistence on going to the IAEA.

He said: “There is nothing new in what the Left parties have said. I have not given up hope still.”

Dr. Singh, however, parried a question whether he would go to the G-8 summit in Tokyo.

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It will be more difficult to stop deal when PM comes back to Parliament: Yechury

Vinay Kumar

NEW DELHI: CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury said on Monday that if the government moved ahead formally to sign a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the party would implement the Polit Bureau decision of withdrawing support.

Mr. Yechury said the Prime Minister had time and again given statements about returning to Parliament after completing processes such as signing of a safeguards agreement with the IAEA, getting a waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) and an endorsement by the United States Congress.

Mr. Yechury said it would be much more difficult to stop the agreement when the Prime Minister “comes back to Parliament, because they will say the whole world is in favour of the deal.”

CPI national secretary D Raja said the Left could not agree to the Prime Minister’s promise of coming back to Parliament before operationalising the deal.

“The government should not go ahead to seek ratification of the safeguards agreement from the IAEA Board of Governors, which in itself is a step in operationalising the deal.”

Mr. Raja said his party would not have any objection to the Prime Minister’s visit to Tokyo for the G-8 summit but he should not make any commitment there that the government would go ahead with the nuclear deal.

“If he makes any such commitment, the Left will have no other option but to withdraw support.”

Terming Dr. Singh’s statement “political deceit,” RSP general secretary T. J. Chandrachoodan said the Prime Minister’s formula of coming back to Parliament for discussion did not mean anything as the deal will be virtually operationalised when it gets the U.S. Congress’ clearance.

“If they [Congress] think they can tie the Left at their stable, they are mistaken. Once the deal is discussed at the IAEA, NSG and the U.S. Congress, the deal is on. Then there is no role for us and the government cannot change anything. The Prime Minister’s remarks are an indication that the government is moving ahead and that there will be an inevitable separation of the UPA and the Left,” he said.
A political question

Forward Bloc Secretary G. Devarajan said: “It seems that the Prime Minister does not know the Left parties very well. They take a decision on any issue after giving it a lot of thought. Once a decision is taken, normally we don’t go back and in nuclear deal also, we are not changing our stand. For us, the deal is not a technical issue; it is a political question.”

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