NEW DELHI, 29 November 2007 — Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, yesterday that the US-India civilian nuclear deal would not bar Delhi from conducting nuclear tests. “If conducting a nuclear test becomes necessary, there is nothing in the agreement that prevents us from carrying it out,” he said. Manmohan made this point during a debate on the nuclear deal.
Opposition leader L.K. Advani, who is also a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said the National Democratic Alliance was not against strategic partnership with the United States, but the Hyde Act in its present form is not acceptable. The Hyde Act says that America’s national interest will prevail in all circumstances, Advani said. Referring to Section 106 of the Act, Advani said that it clearly bans India from carrying out any further nuclear test.
Drawing attention to US Under Secretary of Nicholas Burns’ statement that the nuke deal will have to be “completely consistent” with the Hyde Act, Advani said it would mean a “loss of India’s sovereignty” as a nation. Advani quoted Burns’ statement: “The nuke deal has to be completely consistent with the Hyde Act.”
At this point, Manmohan commented that as the BJP-led NDA government had decided on a unilateral moratorium for not conducting any further tests, “why should we be concerned about any further tests?”
“Yes, we had decided that, but on both occasions (the first and second Pokhran tests), the US had imposed sanctions on us and we had to go through many hardships to sustain our nuclear program,” Advani said.
“We are being pushed into this non-proliferation regime because we need nuclear energy,” said Advani. “They are taking advantage of this. This is deeply detrimental to India’s vital and long-term interests,” he said.
Other lawmakers opposed to the deal also slammed the government saying it was misleading the country and compromising national interest.
The debate will not lead to a vote on the deal. Nor will it resolve the controversy one way or the other, amid fears time is running out for the agreement as President George W. Bush’s term in office nears its end.
“Please take the sense of the house, don’t proceed further, because a majority of this sovereign house is against this,” said Rupchand Pal, an MP of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the largest of four left parties in Parliament.
“The prime minister’s assurances with regard to all the reservations we have made ... most have been trampled ... our apprehensions have been proved true repeatedly,” he said.
The nuclear pact aims to end more than three decades of sanctions against nuclear commerce between New Delhi and Washington even though India has stayed out of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and tested nuclear weapons.
Proponents of the pact say it will help meet India’s soaring energy needs and is a sign of a growing strategic friendship between New Delhi and Washington.
Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Parliament yesterday the government would protect the controversial Bangladeshi writer who is in hiding after receiving threats from Muslim groups.
Taslima Nasreen was rushed out of her adopted hometown of Kolkata in West Bengal state last Thursday following riots by thousands of Muslims calling for her expulsion from India.
“India has never refused shelter to those who have come and sought our protections,” Mukherjee said. “India will provide shelter to Taslima Nasreen.” Muslim groups accuse Taslima of blasphemy over her 1994 novel “Lajja” or “Shame” and have called for her execution for that and other works.
Mukherjee said Taslima would receive government protection, but urged her to steer clear of making statements that might cause controversy.
“It is also expected the guest will refrain from activity and expression that can hurt the sentiments of our people,” said Mukherjee.
West Bengal state’s Marxist government has come under fire from the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for failing to protect the 45-year-old author, who was first taken to BJP-ruled Rajasthan last week.
That state refused to harbor her on security grounds and Taslima was brought to New Delhi over the weekend.
She has since been taken to a hidden location after the government feared protests by Muslim groups would erupt in the capital.
