123...Go!!!

Congress: We need this deal for India. We figured after 60 years of sitting around, its time to finally do something for India.
BJP: We will oppose the deal..Till we come back to power
Left: We want India to be left behind
Kalam: Can I still be president..Please??
Chinese: Wow, these Indians have negotiated a better deal than us, lets oppose them and create some confusion. Call our friends at the CPI.

As opposition to the Indo-US nuclear agreement grows, one wonders if we are our own worst enemy. The problem is the Communist parties in India are fundamentally against any business with the US/West and its got to a point where they are making India look ridiculous. Sure India is a democracy while gives all parties a voice, but the left has successfully turned the proceedings into a circus by threatening the Congress every other day. BJP, for its part is playing the perfect opposition by opposing the deal simply becuase they have to (and asking the govt to re-negotiate) and brainstorming any way in which they can take some credit as well.

The snap polls conducted all over the country clearly proved that the people of India have endorsed this deal and that the vast majority of both the Indian elite and middle class are very much in favor of not just a normalization of ties with America but also favor a much more comprehensive strategic partnership. From the American side, both the Democratic and Republican parties see a partnership with India as one of the priorities of US foreign policy no matter which president is sworn in.

While Abdul Kalam has reviewed and blessed the deal as a step forward for India, I fail to understand why the left is continuing to make noise which can only lead to further isolation. In today’s ever changing global dynamics, every political party must, in the national interest, ensure that we are ready to meet the emerging global challenges consistent with our national self-interest. India needs to establish friendly relations with key global players: the USA, Russia, China, Japan, Germany, France, UK, Brazil etc. Sure we are growing at a double digit pace and every country is looking to India to grow and expand. But are we a true global player yet?? The answer would be a resounding ‘NO’. We do have the potential to become one, but it is indeed sad to see that just when we have gotten our foot in the door, the rug is being pulled once again by our politicians.

Anyone who has carefully read the entire deal will know that the deal is tipped in India’s favor and the fact is the US has indeed given a lot of concessions to bring India on board (esp. for a country which has not signed the CTBT).

Although uranium is the only naturally occurring fissile element directly usable in a nuclear reactor, India has only 0.8% of the world’s uranium reserves and may have to depend on imports in the future. Sure this is a genuine concern which can be addressed, but India is investing and building a prototype thorium reactor so it does not have depend on imports in the future (India has 32% of world’s thorium reserves). I also fail to understand why is it one or the other. The fact is currently our nuclear reactors are running at below 60 per cent capacity due to the shortage of nuclear fuel and this deal is critical for India's energy sector. It could be decades before we even come close to indigenously developing reactors to harness energy contained in non-fissile thorium.

We simply cannot afford to miss the bus on this deal and risk getting isolated or worse lag behind in comparison to other developing countries becuase all our politicians are interested is in getting one up on each other. While Japan, UK, Russia and France have recognized the importance of this deal and have already shown confidence in India, it is strange to see our left parties shouting ‘Down with US-Imperialism’ and opposing the deal for no rhyme or reason. (While most of their children are in the US)

Let there be no doubt that the 123 agreement with the US will allow India to become a global player in a competitive world and will no way impact its sovereignty in any way. The deal sure has had some bumps along the road, but its success is inevitable given the strength of momentum with US-India relations which is at an all time high.