New Delhi, The nuclear deal between India and USA after having been in a limbo may witness a last minute spurt, but it is not clear if it will be able to reach the goal post or not. The UPA leaders who waited a long time for Left to give them some elbow room finally decided to bite the bullet to avoid the charge that it was the tail which was leading the dog instead of being the other way round.

The Left which became more stubborn every day was not prepared to make any concessions or even negotiate in a spirit of give and take thus forcing the hand of the Government as otherwise the country could become guilty of going back on commitments made by it while endorsing the nuclear deal which had been cleared by the Cabinet and the Congress Working Committee.

Left made much of the fact that deal was not a part of the program agreed by UPA and the Left parties. It is also a fact that there was nothing specific in the program prohibiting the Government from entering into such a deal. The argument by the Government that deal was not for having a specific relationship with USA, but an attempt to end policy of isolation which was imposed on India by the world powers after it conducted a nuclear test and had refused to sign the treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons was not even considered by the left.

The left also ignored the fact that the treaty was also preventing our friends like Russia and France to supply us with technology to generate nuclear power or get Uranium from international sources. In the absence of adequate supply of uranium to run our existing nuclear reactors or build any new reactors was bringing the nuclear programme to halt. The argument by critics of the deal that nuclear power was expensive and cheaper power can be generated from coal is true but they have to realize that in current scenario where oil prices are hitting the roof and there are growing concerns about pollution, no country including India can ignore any source of power as what is expensive today may become cheap tomorrow or power at any cost is better than no power.

There are many countries in Europe which are meeting a major share of their energy needs from nuclear power. This is being done as they are aware of the fact that coal and oil supplies can not be depended upon in the long run. It is in this context that the need for non-conventional sources of power like sunlight, wind power and nuclear power have to be considered. India which is facing major shortages of energy at present will have no hope of continuing its growth at present rate if energy needs are not met adequately.

In the coming days two factors will play an important role that is food security and energy. The oil and gas saved by producing power from alternative sources can be used to produce more fertilizer which is required for increasing food production. The Left parties can not cite a single example of a country which has closed its doors on generating electricity from nuclear sources. The cost has not been considered a factor in making this decision.

As for Left opposition to having a relationship with USA, one would like to ask them if ideology has prevented either Russia or China from accepting U.S.A as a major trade partner. One also is surprised that they believe that China can retain an independent foreign policy even after signing agreement with USA for use of nuclear energy but India can not. . Do they believe that India is so weak that it can be bullied by any country. Such lack of confidence in Indian State, Government or people to say the least is uncalled for. In present times even small and insignificant countries can stand upto major powers and India with its present position and with prospects of becoming a major power certainly is no soft target for any single country to dictate or be pushed into submission.

One can agree that the attempts by UPA Government to pick up allies like Samajwadi party and host of small groups is not a happy situation and these allies may make life difficult for the Government in days to come. There is, however, no alternative as the country in general is not ready for early poll. The Left had supported UPA to keep Communal forces like BJP out. This logic is valid even today as the Left threat to dislodge the Government will become a reality only if they join hands with BJP and others like them. For Left the choice is to balance their dislike for USA with hatred for BJP. Not an easy decision but not unexpected. Efforts to gain some time by wooing one and all is also a bad choice for UPA, but in politics there are no permanent friends or enemies.

One only hope that the Left will not force a situation where they become tainted by association with BJP or force UPA to become venerable to blackmail by groups like Samajwadi party and others. It will be like cutting your own nose to spite the others and lowering the country's prestige as a power house of Asia and a stronghold of democracy in the third world to be admired and envied.

Source - NPA

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