NEW DELHI, 14 August 2007 — Amid noisy protests by opposition legislators demanding cancellation of the India-United States civilian nuclear agreement, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh strongly defended it yesterday afternoon in the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament). He began his statement by clarifying that his government has never kept the Parliament and various parties in the dark about the deal.
“I had given parliament my assurance that the government will make every effort so that the vision of the Joint Statements of July 2005 and March 2006 becomes a living reality. I believe that we have redeemed that pledge,” Manmohan said in a suo moto statement on the 123 bilateral civil nuclear cooperation pact.
“The agreement does not in any way affect India’s right to undertake future nuclear tests, if it is necessary in India’s national interest,” said Manmohan, while alluding to apprehensions by a section of the opposition that the 123 pact, which is silent on the issue of testing, deprives India of its sovereign right to do so.
“Let me hence reiterate once again that a decision to undertake a future nuclear test would be our sovereign decision, one that rests solely with the government,” the prime minister said.
“There is nothing in the agreement that would tie the hands of a future government or legally constrain its options to protect India’s security and defense needs.”
The 123 agreement, however, acknowledges the US’ right of return of nuclear material and fuel sold to India in case of termination of nuclear cooperation with India. It provides for a consideration of the circumstances, including a change of security environment, before taking the extreme step.
“If I might sum up, this agreement does not in any way inhibit, restrict or curtail our strategic autonomy or capabilities. Our rights to pursue our three-stage nuclear power program remain undiluted,” Manmohan said.
Samajwadi Party and BJP MPs kept chanting slogans, till the end of the prime minister’s 25-minute address, calling the nuclear deal a US “trick.” The din made it nearly impossible to hear exactly what the prime minister had to say.
