New Delhi: The Left parties are trying to corner the Government over the Indo-US nuclear deal, but Congress President Sonia Gandhi is standing firm behind Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
In a "Letter to Congress Workers", Sonia Gandhi has congratulated the Prime Minister and his team for putting in place, a treaty that "satisfies all the conditions" laid out before Parliament.
"... India and the US have signed a historic 123 agreement that lifts the decades-old embargo against nuclear trade with India. This will allow India to expand its energy sector to meet the growing demands of our economic growth and put an end to the power shortages that we are all familiar with," she wrote in the letter.
She added that the PM and his team have "brought home an agreement that is in the long term in the interest of India".
She has also stated in her letter that the Government has done nothing in isolation and has kept the Left and the Opposition parties informed of every move.
"We have negotiated with America keeping our national interests in the forefront and India's nuclear defence programme has been in no way undermined," she said in the letter in the latest issue of party journal Congress Sandesh.
Noting that the agreement will help the country expand power generation for its agricultural sector and the growing industrial sector, Gandhi wrote that the deal is a recognition of the achievements of India's scientists who have worked diligently to keep the indigenous nuclear programme alive.
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In an apparent dig at the BJP-led NDA over frequent disruptions of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Gandhi expressed hope that the Opposition will use Parliament to air their differences and "we will see less unnecessary House adjournments that waste precious time and the tax-payer's money".
Speaking For The Deal
On August 13, the Prime Minister, while addressing the Lok Sabha, had said that the nuclear agreement was about civil nuclear cooperation which is for the mutual benefit for both India and the US.
Singh had also said that there was no compromise in any manner on India's independent foreign policy on account of the civil nuclear deal with the US and the strategic autonomy will be retained.
Meanwhile, the Left, which had threatened to pull out of the Government has finally called a truce and has agreed to the formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to discuss the deal.
What is the Indo-US Nuclear Deal?
The Indo-US civilian nuclear deal has been in the making for the past few years and has always been a point of contention between the two countries. The deal, which will finally come through during George Bush’s India visit beginning March 1, has seen many roadblocks and a lot of strategic lobbying.
Under the nuclear deal, the US will help India import uranium for non-military use for generating nuclear power.
In exchange, India must give assurances that the uranium will not be diverted for bombs by placing all non-military nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.
This means, these facilities will be watched by officials of the IAEA, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog.
However, India's military facilities will not be under safeguards, they can continue making nuclear bombs.
(With inputs from PTI)
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