People's Democracy

EDITORIAL

Nuclear Deal: Larger Game Plan Exposed

THE concerns expressed in these columns regarding the larger context in which the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal must be viewed have, once again, been vindicated. Reconfirmation of this, if ever any reconfirmation was necessary, has come from two quarters.

US ambassador to India addressing the Indo-US Economic Summit on September 18 spoke of a, “broader, longer term vision for US-India relations that touches all fields of human endeavour for which the civil nuclear (deal) is important, but only one part of the larger whole.”

And, what is this larger whole? Focussing on, “rapidly expanding economic relationship”, the US ambassador went on to state: “We are engaging with India on virtually every important front, from defence and space cooperation to critical transnational issues such as counter terrorism, health, education and climate change.”

This is nothing but a blueprint for the emerging strategic alliance between USA and India. It is precisely the implications and the consequences of such a strategic alliance with US imperialism in the present juncture of world politics that the CPI(M) has been opposing as being disastrous for our sovereignty and independent foreign policy. These grave consequences have been discussed in these columns on many occasions, hence, require no repetition here.

The US ambassador further urged India to strengthen the economic reforms of liberalisation. “Continued reform and liberalisation will help further boost this surging momentum and spread the benefits of rapid economic growth…”. He called for further liberalisation in the banking and financial markets as well as in retail trade. Clearly, therefore, this strategic alliance with the USA is expected not only to pressurise India into toeing the US positions regarding foreign policy and security concerns but is also pushing India towards greater liberalisation.

The effects of such a neo-liberal economic reform agenda on the common Indian is there for all to see. The growing hiatus between `shining’ and `suffering’ India is getting accentuated precisely due to such reforms and the State’s withdrawal from its social obligations to the people. It is this process that the USA would like India to surge ahead into. The US ambassador spoke of the “commercial use of water” and sought reforms to “establish a price-driven regulatory regime”. These arguments for imposing “user charges” will mount greater misery on the already groaning millions of Indians who are not even empowered to access even the existing meagre civic facilities.

On the other side of our planet, speaking in Washington, US assistant secretary of state, Richard Boucher, appearing at a Capitol Hill briefing titled `The US-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement – Next Steps for Congress and the US’, sponsored by the US-India Business Alliance in cooperation with the Congressional Task Force on US-India Trade, said on Tuesday: “The 123 Agreement is subsequent to the passage of the Hyde Act” and “we think it’s in full conformity with the Hyde Act”. Boucher went on to say: “We have met all the requirements of the Hyde Act.”

This is precisely what we have been saying all along. The Hyde Act graphically details the changes in India’s independent foreign policy that need to be made to be, “congruent” with US foreign policy positions. Speaking on India’s relations with Iran, Boucher said that the Indian government is very well aware of US concerns of India’s military relationship with Iran. It is such arm twisting of India to change the direction of its policy that will increase as the nuclear deal anchored within the Hyde Act gets implemented. Such pressures will not be confined to foreign policy positions alone. It will extend to vital areas such as defence cooperation, security and intelligence collaboration etc.

These instances of reconfirmation of the concerns expressed by us on the grave consequences to India’s sovereignty by this deal must be considered in right earnest by the UPA government before it proceeds to operationalise the deal. The committee formed to consider these objections and make evaluations is at work and the UPA must stick to the common understanding arrived at with the Left parties that the committee’s findings will be taken into account before the UPA government proceeds to operationalise this deal.