DR. MAN MOHAN SINGH GETS MURKIER

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

In a democracy the Prime Minister should be honestly frank. But Dr. Man Mohan Singh is getting murkier.

In the nuke deal matter, his infamous braggadocios that the Left parties can “do whatever they want to do, if they want to withdraw support, so be it”, has certainly caused a lot of loss to the country. The loss of so many days in the Parliament apart, the country has drowned ever since in uncertainty over continuation of the government, which is such a phenomenon, that normal administration has gone into jeopardy.

I have, in these pages, cited sources earlier to show how the nuke deal is “so clearly in interest of United States”. I have also cited expert bodies like the Oxford Research Group to show how the nuke deal designed under the guise of power generation would be a “dangerously counter-productive energy policy – one from which the blowback may be a lot worse than higher heating bills”.

It is baffling that the government has nether paid any attention to convince the common people on economic viability, if any, of the nuke deal nor has it given details of how the deal will help the people vis-a-vis the load on exchequer that they shall have to bear.

But the most baffling is he fact that the government of Dr. Singh has subjected the deal to review by an UPA-Left joint political committee even though he had earlier declared that the deal is “signed, sealed and not negotiable”. Had the deal been “signed, sealed and not negotiable”, the same would never have been subjected to review by the joint political committee. On the other hand, he is on records to have told President Bush that his government is to overcome “certain difficulties” before proceeding further even as he had told at Pretoria that the “process of evolving a meaningful consensus back home is still on”. Thus it is clear that the deal is not yet “sealed”. If this is the position, it is clear that the Prime Minister had not told the truth in saying the deal was “sealed” and made “not negotiable”. Why then he had told a lie? He should explain his position convincingly.

On the other hand, after Hyde’s instrument was adopted by both the houses of US Senate in December 9, 06 and became a Law with President Bush’s signature, the “text” of the agreement under section 123 of the US Atomic Act of 1954 was to be agreed to by Indian Parliament. “The Indian parliament must agree to the text”, was the stipulation. Now as we know, the “text” of the deal has never been agreed to by our Parliament. When Indian Parliament has never agreed to the text of the deal, how could the Prime Minister made it “signed, sealed and not negotiable”?

Dr. Singh has told the parliament that his cabinet has approved the agreement. But he has never moved the �text� of the deal agreement in the Parliament seeking its agreement thereon and therefore the text has never been agree to by Indian parliament.

He should clarify as to why has he not moved the text of the deal in the Parliament for its agreement, when, according to stipulations, it is a “must” prerequisite for making the deal “signed, sealed and not-negotiable”. If this stipulation has been dropped, he should make us know as to when, how, why and by whom it has been dropped. We, as a people, have every right to know as to by whom or under whose direction, primacy of Indian parliament in deciding a deal like the nuke deal has thus been dropped.

If he cannot clarify on this particular aspect, it would be better for him to quit, as a nation of patriots like the Indians cannot tolerate any more their Prime Minister getting murkier.