Joint statements don't matter

International relations are governed by what two nations agree upon and state the same jointly. The same is then formalised in form of treaties. But astonishingly, a man who served as an under-secretary at the UN and with much international exposure came up with this ridiculous defense of Manmohan Singh's betrayal of India in Egypt -

[...] MoS for external affairs Shashi
Tharoor on Thursday downplayed the significance of the controversial
India-Pakistan joint statement and said it was a "diplomatic paper" and not a
legally binding commitment.

[...] "It (the joint statement) is a
diplomatic paper that is released to the press different from legal papers,"
[Link]

If that's the logic, how can Singh claim victory at Pakistan's mere admission of it's involvement in Mumbai attacks. It could very well amount to nothing since it's not legally binding.

And that's exactly how the Indo-US Nuclear deal too is playing out. The deal that was eventually sold to us ordinary folks was far from what the joint statement of 2004 mentioned.

This doesn't reflect well on a whole lot of things. Tharoor himself, the Congress's intentions, the UN and the general functioning of bodies like the UN. If this is the thought, then the UN and similar bodies are completely ineffective (not that they have been for long).

And yet Dr. Manmohan Singh is in denial

All along Dr. Singh and his cohorts have been maintaining that the Hyde Act does not apply to the Indo-US nuclear deal. But when the deal actually went for the US senate approval, we have this.

"The Agreement shall be subject to the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, the Henry J Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006, and any other applicable United States law."

"Pursuant to section 103(a)(6) of the Henry J Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006, in the event that nuclear transfers to India are suspended or terminated pursuant to title I of such Act, the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, or any other United States law, it is the policy of the United States to seek to prevent the transfer to India of nuclear equipment, materials, or technology from other participating governments in the Nuclear Suppliers Group or from any other source."

"nothing in the Agreement shall be construed to supersede the legal requirements of the Henry J Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006 or the Atomic Energy Act of 1954." [Emphasis added]

This is hardly what Dr. Singh promised the parliament and the nation. The provisions are contrary to everything that he has been claiming. How is this an acceptance of India's nuclear status? And how does this not compromise our strategic concerns?

What did the Indo-US nuclear deal achieve?

No guarantee on fuel supply, no immunity in case India carries out tests, no transfer of sensitive nuclear technology, you cannot help but wonder, what did this deal achieve for us exactly. Apparently this was supposed to end the apartheid, but as there is more news on the matter, it seems that the isolation continues.

India assures USA of business but no such assurances in return, indeed President Bush has clarified that there is no legal binding on the US guaranteeing fuel supply to India. Australia continues its opposition. It is pretty clear that the Indian hawks have not done a good job on this one. Whatever happened to your assurances to the nation Dr. Singh? Any answers Mr. nuclear deal?

Charlatanism for diplomacy and incompetence for leadership

Charlatanism has taken over diplomacy. The latest revelations on the Indo-US nuclear deal have made American interests quite clear. It was never about empowering India, as claimed, but hoodwinking India into the non-proliferation regime. The letter released by House Foreign Affairs Committee Howard Berman confirms this. The said letter was written 9 months ago by the state department in response to questions posed by the Congress, yet we were kept in the dark, lest the Americans lost the deal.

It is difficult to understand Dr. Singh's enthusiasm for the deal when it has been blindingly obvious, all along, that there were many questionable aspects of the deal that needed more disscussion, clarifications and re-negotiation. But Dr. Singh's incompetence made him blind to all this. He placed more trust in the Americans than his own countrymen who time and again warned him against the deal.

So what does the letter clarify? (From the IE link)

[...] the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Howard Berman has released State Department's answers to 45 questions on the deal which indicate clearly differing perceptions on key issues between New Delhi and Washington. (Emphasis added)

Any why was the letter kept under wraps for 9 months -

The answers were considered ‘so sensitive, particularly because the debate over the agreement in India could have toppled the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the State Department requested they remain secret even though they were not classified,’ according to Washington Post which quoted a spokesman for Berman as saying he had made the answers public because the US Congress must have ‘relevant information’. (Emphasis added)

And what does it say about India carrying out any testing -

In its responses, the State Department has said that as outlined in the 123 Agreement, should India detonate a nuclear explosive device, the US has the right to cease all nuclear cooperation with it immediately, including the supply of fuel.

It also stipulates that US can request India to return items transferred from it including fresh fuel. In addition, the US has the right to terminate the agreement on one year's written notice. (Emphasis added)

And here are the bullet points from Dr. Brahma Chellaney's column on rediff -

• The US has given no binding fuel-supply assurance to India.
• No US consent to India's stockpiling of lifetime fuel reserves for safeguarded power reactors.
• US civil nuclear cooperation is explicitly conditioned to India not testing ever again.
• The US has retained the right to suspend or terminate supplies at its own discretion.
• The letter makes clear that the 123 Agreement has granted India no right to take corrective measures in case of any fuel-supply disruption.
• The Bush administration's letter states that the 123 Agreement fully conforms to the Hyde Act provisions.
• The letter assures Congress that the 'US government will not assist India in the design, construction or operation of sensitive nuclear technologies.

Spin doctors and media agents did not tire telling us how good the deal was and how good the PM was for negotiating it. The prime minister, Sonia, Rahul Gandhi, Pranab Mukerjee, Kapil Sibal etc. asked all opponents to listen to our hearts. Apparently it was in our national interest and that the future generations would thank us for the deal. However, Dr. Singh has a lot to answer to the nation, after all this amounts to him lying on the floor of our parliament and to the nation.

Update: According to David Mulford, The US did share all the points mentioned in the letter with the Indian government -

"This letter contains no new conditions and there is no data in this letter which has not already been shared in an open and transparent way with members of the Congress and with the Government of India," US Ambassador David C Mulford said in a statement.

Dr. Singh stands completely exposed and cannot feign ignorance after this. He is now a confirmed liar.

Hyde Act will prevail: Nicholas Burns

Repeated exhortations by Dr. Singh and Mr. Pranab Mukherjee to the contrary not withstanding, Mr. Nicholas Burns, the primary negotiator of the Indo-US nuclear deal clarifies -

Burns said, "When this agreement was negotiated, it was fully consistent with the provisions of the Hyde Act. So we have the right to terminate it if India tests." But he said it was highly unlikely that India would conduct a nuclear test.

He also added, "No aspect of this deal recognises India as a nuclear weapons state."

There is more -

He predicted that "a conservative estimate would be that within a generation, 90 percent of India's nuclear establishment would be under IAEA safeguards�none of that would have been possible without this fundamental break with conventional wisdom that President Bush put forward three years ago."

So much for being responsible with our nuclear facilities!

How do the Prime Minister's and the External Affairs Minister's assurance hold in the face of this? Would it not be fair, then to say, that both have not been truthful to the nation? They repeatedly assured us that the Hyde Act would not apply to us, India's strategic interests would not be compromised. But that clearly is untrue.

We were told by Dr. Singh that the deal was in the interest of the nation. But, apparently, the nation he had on his mind was not the as same we thought. It is now clear that the US interests were the primary consideration.

Dr. Singh went to the extent for appealing to the conscience of the opposition, asking the "Bheeshma Pitamaha" Shri Vajpayee to approve it. He never clarifies how could his conscience go ahead with a deal that compromises India's strategic interests. He asked the opponents to listen to their hearts and assured us that the future generations would indeed be thankful for the deal. Without going that far, the present generation is the one that is being compromised by Dr. Manmohan Singh. When the opposition was playing a constructive role, was raising valid concerns and asking relevant questions, it was ridiculed and accused of playing politics, it was accused of being prepared to sign a much less beneficial deal when in power. Clearly Dr. Singh is the one playing politics over the deal.

It should now be clear that the Indo-US nuclear deal is designed to contain India's nuclear weapons programme. It is designed to hoodwink India into submission and deny the status of a nuclear weapons state. This deal is clearly not in India's favour. Dr. Singh must immediately come clean and not proceed with it unless all concerns are addressed. That would be in our national interest.

A friend in need...

...may not always be a friend indeed. This is especially true with Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP). It was not until a few days ago we heard new songs of friendship being sung by the two political parties. The two arch rivals were suddenly found cuddling each other, the reason, the impending trust vote in the parliament. SP coming to Congress' rescue was akin to a Bollywood style "kahani mein twist".

Amar Singh of the SP did not tire saying that his party was keeping the nation's interests at heart in supporting the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the Indo-US nuclear deal. He also emphasised many times over that SP was being selfless in not insisting on any ministerial berths for his party and that their support was not based on any such conditions.

Then we saw currency bundles being waived in the parliament allegedly originating from Amar Singh. It began to seem that national interest had a price after all. Not just money, but 319 animals paid with their lives to save this government. The Congress and SP literally have blood on their hands. Now, barely a few days after the trust vote, it seems that the SP is finding it difficult to keep its flock together. Some of their partymen apparently have been demanding cabinet berths as a reward for following their party's whip. So much for not asking for their pound of flesh. Moreover, after apparently being convinced by none other than Dr. Kalam that the Indo-US nuclear deal was in India's best interests (never mind that he changed his stance on the matter), now the SP is singing a different tune altogether. It now wants the Hyde act amended or a new law in India to counter it. Whatever happened to it earlier claims on the deal.

Dr. Manmohan Singh or the Congress should have known better than to seek a friend in the SP. But then it was blinded by survival instincts. Dr. Singh seems to have avoided the collapse of his government, but with friends like these, the ride is not going to be smooth. SP will be guided by its own interests, not the nation's and it will act up.

No Compromise on Strategic Interests?

If the Indo-US nuclear deal does not compromise our strategic interests, like Dr. Singh and Sonia (rather belatedly) have been claiming, why not announce another set of nuclear tests and see what sort of noises uncle Sam makes? That ought to clear all doubts.

What's the deal here?

The Indo-US nuclear deal is a convenient reason for the Congress to distance itself from the nagging Left. Neither the Congress nor Dr. Singh is serious about the deal. All the latest events are a ploy to divert the nation’s attention from other serious issues like price rise, internal security, Chinese aggression etc. It is clear that the Congress and the UPA are on the defensive on these subjects. So the deal gives them something to divert our attention with. That it is a ploy should be clear from the fact that the Left (consistent and principled politics? BAH!) now finds Dr. Singh the villain in the act rather than the Congress. (Trying to keep our options open, are we Karat?)

On the other hand, this whole saga could really be fallout. Dr. Singh, who continually exhorted on building a broad consensus on the deal in India, declares he is going ahead with the next steps towards the deal without taking the nation into confidence. So much for being our nations’ Prime Minister! No concerns for “broad consensus” now? And the hesitation in sharing the text for the IAEA drafts claiming they were classified when the whole world could read it over the internet was simply ridiculous. It makes one question Dr. Singh’s loyalty to the nation. No wonder Shri. L K Advani wonders if something else is at play here.

And just how serious is Dr. Singh about this deal? If he indeed was serious enough, he would not have waited this late in trying to get the deal signed. He chose to wait hoping he would get the Left parties to agree to it and long enough until he could count on someone else for support. Surely he knew that the Left would never agree to such a deal.

Dr. Singh did not take the parliament into confidence, there is little consensus over it, the public is ill informed about the deal, the media is hard at work in trying to sell the deal on behalf of the Congress with it’s biased coverage, all these should be reasons enough for doubt. However, and all of a sudden, the Congress finding new best friends in arch rivals, Mulayam and Amar Singh should be a giveaway about dubiousness of this mess of a deal.

Manmohan ain't gonna resign

Throughout his professional life, Manmohan has only contemplated resigning, but never actually did.

He thought of stepping down when he was the deputy chairman of the planning commission. And the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi called the commission "a bunch of jokers". When the securities scam surfaced, Manmohan thought of resigning again. He challenged the Left to withdraw support over the Indo-US nuclear deal earlier. And now the farce continues with his latest threat.

Manmohan ain't going nowhere. He's too obedient a babu to not follow his master's commands.

The Indo-US nuclear deal dying

An assertion to this effect by an US official is welcome because the deal in it's current form is absolutely against India's interests. The deal, if needed, should be re-negotiated to keep our national interests at the fore.

Dr. Singh's assurances to the parliament that the present deal does not compromise India's interests are pure bunk. He repeatedly assured us that our concerns have been adressed by the Americans, but when the 123 agreement, the Hyde Act & various other documents came out, it turns out that not only were there a plethora of clauses severly restricting us, there were "fall-back" safeguards that the Americans put in, so there was no way out for us from this mess of a deal. The clauses did not stop at restricting us, they went ahead to seek intrusions in our nuclear programme. Our scientiests have expressed this as a grave concern.

It's surprising how gullible could our leaders be. The only defense they offer is that the various American acts around this deal do not apply to us. They forget that all those acts apply to the American president & their senate. How do you get around that? Dr. Singh also assures us that most of the specific clauses will not be applicable or enforced on us. But such assurances are not spelt out in the legal documents. Dr. Singh seems to have full faith in the private assurances of the American diplomats. To sign a deal, that runs counter to our national interest & believe verbal assurances made in private is a monumentally folly. Dr. Singh should resist his craving to be in the good books of the Americans & not compromise or interests. He is India's leader, not America's.