With the completion of the Paris Agreement in December of last year, the international community fashioned a universal accord on climate change. As a new E3G Report, United We Stand: Reforming the United
Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy interacts with students from Kozhikode, who are on an indefinite hunger strike against the India-U.S. nuclear deal in New Delhi on Saturday.
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi is scheduled to leave here on Monday on a six-day visit to India with a Congressional delegation.
The Government of India is "committed' to the civilian nuclear deal with the U.S., Indian Ambassador Ronen Sen said here. But New Delhi was bound only by the bilateral 123 Agreement.
With foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee's comments ruling out differences with Left over the India-US nuclear deal reaching a flashpoint and tensions between the two sides abating, a meeting of the U
India aspires for a non-violent, atomic weapons-free world and believes that the international community should conclude "universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable prohibitions on nuclear weapons
A controversial nuclear club is taking shape.
Real problem is the Hyde Act and the bilateral 123 Agreement: CPI(M) Says the future of UPA government depends on the decision that it takes "Assurance of uninterrupted fuel supply is outside IAEA's jurisdiction' NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday cautioned the government that it was "mistaken' if it thought that it could go ahead and take steps for operationalising the India-U.S. nuclear deal after arriving at an agreed text with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on a safeguards agreement. "It will amount to a gross violation of the majority opinion in Parliament. The Left parties will take all the necessary steps to stop the government from taking such a harmful step. It is for the Congress leadership to decide whether it wants to be seen as kowtowing to the pressure of the Bush administration or acting democratically and heeding the voice of Parliament and the people. And this decision has to be a quick and clear one. The future of this government depends on the decision they will take,' the party organ People's Democracy said. "Unfortunate' In a political commentary "Turning Point Has Arrived' in its latest issue, it described as "unfortunate' the statement of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Parliament on March 3 and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's reply to the debate on the President address as all of them continued to "harp on the government's efforts to go ahead with the nuclear deal.' It reminded the government that the Left parties had clearly stated that the government cannot proceed with the finalisation of the IAEA safeguards agreement and take the next step to go to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) given the basic objection to the Hyde Act and the 123 Agreement. While noting that as far as the Left parties are concerned, the problem is not the safeguards agreement with the IAEA, the commentary said: "The real problem is the Hyde Act and the bilateral 123 Agreement with the U.S. The Left parties have in the UPA-Left Committee on Nuclear Issue put up five notes which comprehensively deal with the harmful impact of the Hyde Act on the 123 Agreement, foreign policy and security-related matters.' U.S., not IAEA, the supplier "Even a layman can understand that the IAEA is an international regulatory authority and not a supplier of fuel or nuclear equipment. It is the U.S. which is the supplying party in the 123 Agreement. And as has been repeatedly stated by the U.S. authorities, they are bound by the provisions of the Hyde Act. They assert that the provisions of the 123 Agreement do not contravene the Hyde Act.' The commentary said that it was not within the scope or jurisdiction of the IAEA to provide any assurance for uninterrupted fuel supply or help India build a strategic reserve. "Neither is it within the powers of the IAEA to spell out corrective measures that can be taken by India in the event of the termination of the fuel supply by a party contracted to do so,' the commentary said.
THE confrontation between the UPA and the Left over the Indo-US nuclear deal has entered the most crucial phase with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing his government's resolve to go ahead with the deal in Parliament and the Left seeking a meeting of the UPA-Left mechanism for discussing the contents of the negotiations with the IAEA. With the government working out a tentative timeline for taking the next step on the agreement, the meeting of the UPA-Left mechanism is expected to be convened before March 15. The leaders of the Left parties interpreted the prime ministerial assertions on the issue in Parliament as an indication of the regime's plans to finalise the text worked out with the IAEA. Although the prime minister refused to divulge details about the negotiations with the IAEA, there are indications to suggest that the text of the agreement is ready. Inside Parliament, the prime minister kept harping about working out a broader consensus within the country on the deal. "We will seek the broadest possible consensus within the country on the agreement. I believe this cooperation (with the US) is good for our energy security,' the prime minister told Parliament. But the Left leaders are not willing to buy into the assertion of the prime minister. For, the lack of political consensus was evident during the debate when a significant majority opposed the agreement. The disquiet in the Left was evident from the response of senior party leader Jyoti Basu to the prime minister's statement in the House. He hinted that the Left could soon sever ties with the UPA. "They are dependent on us. We are also dependent on them for keeping the BJP out of power. I do not know how long this arrangement would continue,' reports from Kolkata quoting Mr Basu said. Mr Basu also contested the government's stand that the Hyde Act will not be binding on India. "We have told them not to proceed in operationalising the deal. How can they say the Hyde Act is not binding on India,' Mr Basu said. The government leadership seems to be of the view that there was no political point in giving in to the biases of the Leftists. With the populist budget providing it the comfort level to take on the Leftists, the pro-deal sections have managed to get the Congress establishment on board in their efforts. Till the other day, the leadership of the Congress was quite unenthusiastic about the nuclear project of the government. But there are many imponderables. For the Congress leadership is yet to sound out the UPA partners on their plans on the deal. The Congress will have to factor in the views of partners like the RJD and the NCP. Parties such as the NCP are against a course that will annoy the Left. Atal Bhishma Pitamah of Indian politics, says PM PM Manmohan Singh bestowed the title of "Bishma Pitamah of Indian politics' on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee while egging on the BJP to support the Indo-US nuclear deal in Parliament on Thursday. He said this while talking about the nuclear deal during his reply to the motion of thanks to the President's address in the Upper House. Mr Singh said that after the former national security advisor to Mr Vajpayee, Brijesh Mishra, had "listened to the call of his conscience' and come out to support the deal, Mr Vajpayee who was "Bishma Pitamah of Indian politics' should let "national interest prevail over narrow political interests'. Mr Mishra, however, is no longer a BJP member.
B.P. Jeevan Reddy If the government ignores the will of Parliament and proceeds to finalise the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, it would mean the executive is asserting its supremacy over Parliament
The Indo-US nuclear deal is in focus these days. The Government must call Left's bluff and the Right's circumlocution. The Left is more worried about China's interests than that of India and the Right is opposing the deal for the sake of opposition. In fact the Right when in power carried out protracted negotiations with the US State Department to hammer out an agreement but now it is opposing the Deal because it sits in the opposition. Issues of national interest must be backed by bipartisan consensus. If the Left and the Right have their own agendas, let them pursue them but the Government must not let this opportunity pass even if it risks early elections. India is not a small country that will be gobbled by the US. India merits attention on its own. Welcome to Indian films in Pakistan According to a report, Pakistan is planning to lift 1965 ban on Bollywood films. This will gladden the hearts of the Pakistanis as the Bollywood movies and stars are extremely popular in Pakistan and come what may, beg, borrow or steal, Pakistanis must see the Indian movies. Pirated copies of the latest Bollywood movies reach Pakistan via Dubai days before they are released in India. While the Pakistani picture halls comply with the government ban and refrain from screening of the Bollywood movies, come evening, every home in Pakistan turns into a picture hall amidst much merrymaking and feasting. In the days Indian television was telecasting the Ramayana and Mahabharta on the TV, the Government of Pakistan was alarmed by the fact that the people from far-flung areas were flying to Lahore to watch the episodes because the TV antennas in those days did not carry the signals to their respective cities. In Lahore, life used to come to a standstill when the episodes were broadcast. The Pakistani ban on Bollywood films didn't work as far as the people of Pakistan were concerned. If the ban on the showing of Bollywood movies in Pakistan goes as proposed, it will help better understanding between the people of two countries united by racial, linguistic and cultural bonds. It will be the harbinger of a new era of relationship between the erstwhile hostile neighbours. I'm sure both the people of India and Pakistan will welcome the policy change. RJ Khurana
