ramukifactory

Here are some khullamkhulla questions that need to be answered: -

Why do the proponents of the treaty insist that the Hyde Act has nothing to do with it? The treaty clearly enunciates that it is subject to all the laws and legislative processes of the US of A. Article 2 (1) of the treaty reads ‘… Each Party shall implement this Agreement in accordance with its respective applicable treaties, national laws, regulations, and license requirements concerning the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.’ Moreover, this government has already been honouring the spirit of the Hyde Act by voting against Iran in international fora, which is an unprecedented about turn in our foreign policy.

Why is it that the treaty does not need the sanction of the Indian Parliament while it has to be ratified by the US Congress? This is strange. Why is it that a treaty that binds this nation for forty or fifty years and exposes our civilian nuclear programme to outside monitoring, probable blackmail, and crippling sanctions, does not need the approval of its people? The treaty has been signed and sealed with the nod of a handful of cabinet ministers and enthusiastic officials. Why is our Parliament being bypassed in this process? It is obviously a strategic error. The Parliament could provide us with a buffer zone in times of crisis and dispute. Why is the government not willing to go for this obvious advantage? Is it because the US would like the deal to be kept outside the purview of the Indian Parliament? Is it not against the principles of democracy?

Do we have our national laws in place to safeguard against the possible ill effects of a treaty of this nature? Let us know about them. Do we have laws as safeguards against the sudden termination of an agreement by a foreign entity that feels we are not in tune with its foreign policy objectives? Do we have laws that hold the suppliers of radioactive material and hardware responsible for nuclear mishaps caused by their inadvertence or negligence? What kind of penalties, damages, and compensations are applicable to various acts of omission and commission by the suppliers? Do we have enough legal safeguards to ensure that in case we chose to test a nuclear device, this treaty does not queer our pitch?

Why are we not being told about various costs of getting into this kind of an arrangement? Everyone is talking about the benefits. The nuclear fuel supply and technology transfer is meant for peaceful purposes only, basically to construct and run nuclear reactors that produce electricity. The huge infrastructure, as specified in the treaty, may require an investment in billions of dollars, the kind of money that can help link all our rivers, and create a huge infrastructure of clean, and environment friendly hydroelectricity projects to take care of all our power and irrigation needs, besides giving a boost to the indigenous construction industry, and generating employment opportunities to underemployed rural youth.

Is it not true that one single announcement of the US government can bring everything to a halt within a few years at these nuclear facilities closely monitored by IAEA? Agreed, we are free to stockpile Uranium for the lifetime of these plants. That would mean importing a whole mountain of Uranium now, which may cost us a few years of our GDP. Am I wrong in my calculations? May be. I am not an expert. That is why I am asking for the cost and benefit figures from the experts like Mr. Kakodkar and government accountants. Moreover, should we be dependent on an energy source that is subject to the policies, laws, rules, and regulations of outsiders?

We won’t be able to disagree with the world vision of the US, howsoever unethical and disastrous it may be. Look at what happens when we act against Coca Cola. The bogey of FDI not coming to India is raised to extract extraordinary concessions. Ratan Tata is complaining too now. Till yesterday he was opposed to the entry of big MNCs in India. Now, he fears drying up of the FDI if the 123 Indo-US Agreement is not operationalised. Narayan Murthy, Azeem Premji, and NASSCOM would want the deal to be operationalised too. Their BPO jobs and the US operations must not be jeopardised. That is how things are. When we can be arm twisted into compromise by Enron, BPO clients, and an aerated water supplier, we will be crawling on all fours to run our nuclear reactors after having invested billions and trillions of public money into building and operating them.

Why is this government averse to solicit the opinion of the opposition, its own allies, and the experts of all hues and cries to discuss the pros and cons of the treaty? Why does it have to sell the treaty to the Indian public through surreptitious means like a grand public relations campaign and by planting motivated reports and opinions through the Anglo-Indian media that consists of the Times of India, NDTV, India Today Group, the Hindu and a whole lot of others? And now it has formed a committee to placate the left parties. Why? Why the left parties alone have to be convinced about the deal? What about we, the people?

We must also investigate the motives of the real powers that run this government. Manmohan Singh is a retired bureaucrat and obviously a stooge of the World Bank. He does his mistress’s bidding since the time he was reborn as a politician. He is ever willing to shield the Italian lady from the ill effects of the Government’s actions. She too does not have much concern about the national interest of India. Had it been the case, she would not have helped Qutorocchi get away from the clutches of the CBI and would have refrained from subverting the laws of the land to help her other criminal friends like Lalu Yadav, Sanjay Dutt, Shibu Soren, and Amit Jogi. She would not have used the office of the governor blatantly to save her party’s rule in various states and destabilise the rule of her opponents. What is her motive in supporting this deal so doggedly? Why is the Christian lobby championing the cause of Indo-US cooperation with such gusto? There is something cooking somewhere. Our obvious vulnerabilities are being exploited to push through the deal.

We are also being told that the government is worried about the Muslim votes and it is thinking of giving some sops to the community to guard against the negative fall out of the deal. If the deal is so important to the nation, why should the Muslims oppose it? Are they anti-national? We are also told that the deal may not be operationalised till the next elections to placate the Muslims. Does it mean that the politics of vote banks takes precedence over our national and global interests? There is one more niggling question that needs an answer. Why is this government so keen to bring India under the US sphere of influence even if it means losing the Muslim votes? Are we getting into the ‘East India Company’ trap yet again?

Surprise of surprises. Till yesterday the media was trying to convince us about lofty ideas and ideals of friendship with Pakistan and China. Now, we are told that China and Pakistan are our sworn enemies and those who oppose the deal are in fact supporting the cause of the enemy. We are told that the possibility of India getting a permanent Security Council seat will be hurt if the deal does not go through. Comparisons are being made with China. Our deal is better than theirs. The US is tilting towards India and is interested in boosting India up as a counterforce to challenge the Chinese dominance of the region. What is all this? Why are we being hustled into buying the deal with these xenophobic arguments? I have a policy. I don’t go for a deal if I feel I am being hustled into it. For example, if some SOB tells me that if you don’t buy this car today, it will get more expensive next day, I tell him to shut up and fuck off.

All the proponents of the deal are behaving like savvy, smart, and smooth talking hustlers. I find them to be in an ugly hurry. You will be a dumb head to buy the line that all this is being done in the national interest. Something is going on here and someone is going to make a lot of money out of all this. I also feel that there is a long-term strategic thinking at work here, to keep us under the US thumb. Cannot you smell the dead rat?

My countrymen! Beware! All these fellows in the government, especially so if it is a government led by an Italian lady, are predators who live off you. They only care for their own upkeep and survival. You pay for what they do or don’t. And they don’t really care for your or the nation’s future.