Maoism to Terrorism

Who is a bigger threat to India, the homegrown Maoists or terrorist groups across the border that want to destroy India?? What’s the difference really. It looks like both have the same goal - To destroy peace and create terror within India.

India’s Maoist insurgency has taken on a new face altogether and the evidence is mounting. In one of their boldest attacks yet, at least 350 Maoist guerrillas attacked a convoy and killed 76 armed policemen. This is clearly the worst loss in the four-decade-long conflict. After some digging I found that their roots go back to a 1967 peasant uprising in the West Bengali village of Naxalbari—hence their name, Naxalites—the Maoists have pretty much become a full fledged terrorist organization posing a bigger threat than any other Pak based terror group. They have an estimated 14,000 full-time fighters more than any other terrorist outfit and loosely control pretty much the entire jungle areas of central and eastern India where the state is hardly present. Last year 998 people were killed in Maoist-related conflict. This year could be even bloodier and is sure to surpass that number easily.

India's Maoist rebels also easily top the list of the worst human rights offenders among the myriad of insurgent groups in the country and the Asian Centre for Human Rights, which brought out the report "Torture in India, 2010", also noted the total number of reported torture cases had risen between the years 2000 and 2008 in the country where Maoists torture and kill anyone and everyone they even remotely suspect of providing information on them to the authorities. The govt deployment of an additional 15,000 centrally trained troops to the worst-affected states, taking the total to around 75,000 still seems too late for a vast area home to 450m people, this is still a tiny force. Moreover, properly trained state-level officers, who know the local language and conditions, have a much better counterinsurgency record. The clearest example is in Andhra Pradesh where, through better policing and generous development schemes, the insurgency has recently been greatly weakened.

What is more insulting is that the attack on the police personnel was an emphatic response from the rebels to the central government’s latest offer of peace talks. The Home minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram, nowadays seems to be relaxing at home, while the Maoists loot and extort freely, seems to be in denial (or just weak) in his response and is giving speeches that they are all Indian citizens and force wont be used against them. Well, Mr. Home Minister and the entire Congress govt, while you say all Naxals are Indian Citizens and no army action will be taken to shut them down, with what face is the Indian government talking to Pakistan and asking them to take action against terror groups within POK. Are they are not Pakistani citizens by the same line of reasoning? The whole world is watching and the best India can do is adopt a double standard. How can we expect Pak to take us seriously when our home minister and Air Force chief give public statements that Army won’t use force or undertake Ariel attacks because these terrorists are Indian citizens.

Complacency is partly to blame as until recently few state-level politicians seemed to take the groups threat seriously. Politically, it is a chaos as well. Maoists have their own party (since merging their two main factions in 2004—to form the Communist Party of India -Maoist, under Ganapathi and alarmingly are seen as a party at a national level and they even back many politicians. Even Shibu Soren, chief minister of Maoist-racked Jharkhand, won an election last year with the guerrillas’ support and is predictably reluctant to fight them. This needs to stop and they need to be recognized as a terrorist outfit and any politicians in cahoots with them should be made an example of nationally. It is a shame that we always react to such groups only in the face of some disaster like when LTTE took out our PM or when IA plans was hijacked by LeT Terrorists.

A lot of national tragedies linked to terrorism have hit India in the recent years and the Govt is starting to look very weak when it comes to National security. Wake up Congress and bring out the guns, no need to negotiate with these terrorists and stop pleading with them to put down their arms. Maoist violence and jihadi terrorism are two sides of the same coin and Nationalities should never matter when it comes to dealing with them. If we don’t defend our own country, how can we expect other nations to help us defend ourselves.

Election Time…oops, Its Entertainment Time

I confess. The more I have been reading about the elections and the news, the more entertained I am. The media is equally to blame too I guess as they have been really sensationalizing the non-stop political drama like crazy. I am actually amazed to see how low Indian politics can actually go.

India is probably at the most crucial juncture with so much uncertainty all over the country which is in the midst of a recessionary cycle affecting the jobs and lives of millions. Just at a time when we really need a strong and honest government, it looks like we are getting ready to vote in the weakest leaders who will provide the worst governance ever after Independence.

Some of the more amusing things that have happened:

• Shoe throwing has suddenly become a sport (ask P.Chidamabaram, Jindal and Advani) - India's politicians are now so fearful of shoes being hurled at them that they have asked for more security and are erecting metal nets at rallies.
• Candidates declaring their wealth. Some of the candidates has really flabbergasted me (BSP candidate has just declared assets of 600 crores)
• Every party leader has to say something on the national news everyday
• Varun Gandhi saga – where do I even begin
• SP wanting to ban English and computers
• Karat who talks against corruption is joining hands with Mayawati and Jayalalitha who are the epitome of corruption in this country
• Budiya-Gudiya exchange between Modi and Priyanka
• Barrage of filmstars suddenly standing for elections – Does anyone really want Sanjay Dutt or Govinda to be a leader of the country?
• PM –Advani exchange – will you guys stop it already
• TDP’s free cash and TV schemes

We have only two parties at present in India with an all-India presence - the BJP and the Congress. Suddenly it looks like a 3-way race with a third front emerging. But we already know that the third front has no policy, except to oppose the Congress, BJP and America. History has already taught us a disastrous lesson when he third front came to power at the center the last time. Remember that It was during the third front experiment that we had 4 PMs in 4 years!! To make matters worse (or entertaining.. I don’t know the difference anymore), all of a sudden, there is talk of a fourth front comprising SP, LJP and RJD.
I am not against regional parties. I feel they have a role in our democracy - a regional role. At present, it looks like every regional party wants to be a national party and every regional leader suddenly has become a horse trader. Armed with just 5-6 seats, they are becoming or trying to be the king-makers. Even for getting admission into an ordinary MBA institute, we have debates and group discussions, but sadly when it comes to our leaders, there seems to be absolutely no criteria at all. Anyone and everyone can be a leader in India (criminals are welcome as well)
The only way Indian can build on the momentum it has seen in the last 4-5 years is if and only if a single party is elected with majority at the center. Exactly what will happen when India’s 714 million eligible voters head to the polls in the world’s biggest exercise in democracy is difficult to forecast, this year even more than in the past as it looks like the next government will pretty much be stitched together only after the results are announced. But it is sadder to see every other self proclaimed leader making a mockery of the entire country.

Only in India…Democrazy is FAR the people (before polls), BUY the people (during polls) and OFF the people (after polls).

Where are you Mr.Raj Thackeray?

Where is Raj Thackeray and his hoodlums who claim to own the city when the city is burning?

It is indeed ironic that Raj who claims to love Mumbai, was nowhere in sight as Mumbai was attacked. I am not trying to start an argument or create any animosity but rational Indians will understand that the plain truth of the matter is people like Raj Thackeray can only survive by resorting to the 'Divide and Rule' politics. He is maintaining silence when terrorists have attacked Mumbai, but he roars with political speeches against North Indians and resorts to killing, starting riots over petty issues, throwing stones and breaking public transportation because a board has not been written in Marathi. When Mumbai has been hit by a real confrontation and faces a very real issue, he has gone into hiding. Why? Well, simple...When the people unite he loses and has nothing to say.

Not only Raj, but all the politicians from Mumbai have proved to be a pathetic lot in this crisis, right from Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and his Deputy R R Patil. Deshmukh was in Kerala and it took several phone calls for him to finally realize the gravity of the situation. On his part, his Deputy did even worse. Asked how could such a big incident happen in Mumbai, he said, “In big cities, such small incidents do happen.”

Coming back to Mr.Raj, I want to know what he is going to say to the NSG commandos who fought the terrorists. Should they not have been allowed into Mumbai because they are all from the North and South India? Mumbai was not saved by his marathi goons rather it was saved by Indians. Raj Thackeray has clearly proved that he is a politician, and a cheap one at that...definitely NOT a leader.. All he can do it taunt the innocent and poor people who come to Mumbai to make a decent living.

The whole country has come together to support Mumbai Mr.Raj...Where are the son's of the Marathi soil hiding? Are you abroad on holiday or unwell? Or are you missing because the election dates in Maharashtra haven't been announced as yet? You are not scared of terrorist gunfire and bullets, or are you? Come out and pay homage to the people who laid their lives fighting the terrorists and by the way, none of them are Mumbaikers...

Saying Ta Ta to TATA

Oh! What a circus it has been. Will they? Won't they? Will they? Won't they? This has been the question on everybody's minds over the last 4 months. TATA is being forced out of West Bengal (well they better leave if the highly anticipated Nano is ever to see the light of day) and to add insult to injury, their deadline to meet the Nano roll out seems all but impossible...and the first year target of 3 lakh cars, well, lets not even go there. The ongoing impasse at Singur has also made Tata Motors' top vendors extremely uncomfortable, prompting many of them to either announce a pullout or a significant scaling down of operations in West Bengal. Bengal stands to lose not just the mother plant but 56 ancillary units and the jobs they would create as well. The agitation has also resulted in the scaling down of Nano targets for this calendar year.

The Players

• Mamta Banerjee- Who leads Trinamool Congress is leading the protesters and farmers and has demanded the return of 400 acres of land
• Ratan Tata - Chairman of Tata, who must be wondering what the hell he was smoking when he decided to set up shop in West Bengal
• Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee - The CM of West Bengal who has made a total mess of the situation and is helplessly seeing other industries pull back from his state
• The Farmers - who are blindly following anyone who will give them money for their land

Agitation and Political Drama
The Govt of WB acquired around 1000 acres of farmland in Singur so the Nano plant could be set up by Tata. The trouble started after the Left Front-led Government offered compensation in return but some villagers complained that they had not received their dues. Sensing political opportunity, Mamata Banerjee jumped in to score some political points and she started demanding the lands be returned, which she alleged was forcibly taken from "unwilling farmers" to build ancillary industries adjacent to the main plant. The government is countering that it is too late to give the land back, that the project is too important for the state economy, that giving hundreds of acres back would essentially close the Nano project at Singur. In all, around 400 acres of land is still being fiercely disputed out of the 1,000 acres acquired by the State Government. Violence was encouraged and the farmers unwittingly became pawns in the political drama that has been unfolding over months and which only seems to be getting nastier by the day. Demonstrations and indefinite protests were staged and Tata's employees were attacked as the whole country watched with surprise as to what was happening to one of India's biggest corporations.

Give us the Money - Strangely it looks like over the last 2 weeks, more and more farmers are just collecting cheques from the state govt and giving up their land. Then there are many more who are trying to re-negotiate their land prices and want more money. At the same time, Mamta Banerjee is throwing more tantrums and staging more protests. She has even set a one week deadline for the govt to resolve the issue and is calling for the govt to step down since it has failed. While the farmers want money, it looks like mamta wants as much political mileage as she can get while claiming to fight for the unwilling farmers. Unwilling farmers?? What unwilling farmers.

This is certainly a strange case as it looks like the left, which has historically been against changes, are in front championing investment and reform, while the opposition (read Congress and BJP), who have always complained against the leftists for being against reforms, are trying their best to stop the development of the project in the state. As I write this, it looks like TATA has been offered 1000 acres by Karnataka in addition to Maharastra aggressively courting them as well. In all, 12 states have rolled out the red carpet to TATA, while the govt and opposition are continuing to fight with each other demanding the other step down.

This critical issue can only be solved by politicians with a commitment to India’s development and not by opportunist politicians who are just raising slogans to score quick cheap points. We need good opposition just as much as we need good government. At this time, I don’t think we have either...at least in the state of West Bengal.

Time to Wake Up Mr.PM

India is a maze of conflicting rules, regulations and corruption that twists democracy to produce a constant squeeze on companies to appease the rules and tossing a bone here and there to the massive welfare state through taxation, employment demands and playing the old game of "west vs. east" in the political and economic arenas. I have always wondered what the current Congress govt has done for the last 4 years or so. I mean what is their real achievement. In a word, NOTHING. They can claim credit for a lot of things, but everyone knows that India's real so called economic boom started long before this govt took office.

The weak central government, which is run by an uneasy coalition between the Congress Party and the Left Front, is solely contributing to the unrest where prices are spiraling out of control and it is getting more and more difficult for the comman man to afford anything really. The inflation has jumped to 11.42% and the prices of food and manufactured products and the govt is unable to take any steps to control it...just blaming rising global oil prices. For five years starting from 2007, the Planning Commission has targeted Indian economy to grow at 9% with the last year delivering a growth of 10% . The current rise in inflation and high interest rates have already left a dent on the industry and the production growth rate of the country has substantially slowed down in the past four months. Inflation was at a modest 3% at the end of the year 2007, and is at present hovering over 11 per cent mark, the highest level in 13 years. This year the forecast for economic growth or GDP has been reduced to 7.3%.

The rising corruption is an new issue altogether that people are being forced to deal with. The 'India Corruption Study 2007', brought out by NGOs Transparency International India (TII) and Centre for Media Studies (CMS), found that about one-third of Below Poverty Line (BPL) households in the country bribed officials to avail a total of 11 services -- from police to PDS. According to the survey, which covered 22,728 households in all states and Union Territories, Rs 8,830 million (Rs 883 crore), in all, was estimated to be paid as bribe by BPL households last year. Its a shame that government officials take bribe from people who cant even make a decent living.

The Govt also has failed on the policy front. With the only aim of staying in power, the govt is totally dependant on all its so called coalition partners who all seem to be more keen on opposing everything that the govt does and threatening to pull out of the coalition. It is sad to see that the politicians are more keen to stay in the headlines rather than tackle the real problems that the country is facing. It has become amusing to read about the nuclear deal and what every party has to say about it. Indeed Mayawati from BSP took the cake when she said the deal is' Anti-Muslim'. Not sure what the deal has to do with religion but it proved there is no end in sight if Mr.Singh wants to please every tom dick and harry in the country before he actually acts. The PM, instead of leading the country is begging the various party leaders for permission to conduct the affairs of the state.

Time to wake up Mr.PM and do something real for the country, even if it means you lose support from your so called coalition partners. The drubbing you have taken in the last 4-5 states should tell you that people are in no mood to put up with the games the Congress is playing.

Putting the Brakes on India's Growth

India continues on its high-growth trajectory, with GDP expanding at or about expected rates. However, the economic data have weakened in recent months, causing worry for many people. This of course reflects the impact of the sharp appreciation of the rupee during 2007. The rupee has stabilized now, but other factors like high prices and rising commodities are starting to cause worry. It was widely agreed that RBI's policies for the last 2 years was based on the judgment that the Indian economy was overheating, as demonstrated by the 9% growth rate and higher inflation. However, the expected moderation doesn't appear to be too severe as the economy appears to be cooling, albeit from other concerns.

Sharp appreciation in the rupee in the first half of 2007 resulted in a significant decline in the growth rate of exports and the stronger rupee also contributed to the slowdown in industrial production during the second half of 2007. The currency has since stabilized, as the central bank has returned to its previous position of a tightly managed gradual appreciation. However, the overall economic situation has started to have its impact on what looked like India's once unstoppable economic growth.

However, even as growth slows, risks to inflation are still significant as a result of elevated global oil prices and, increasingly, rising global food prices. Its interesting to see that the central bank hasn't yet responded to the prospect of growth slowing to a level that might not be acceptable to below-trend level.

GDP growth reached a peak of 9.8% during 2006 thanks to strong growth momentum in services and industry. The services sector has been growing at a persistently high rate since the late 1990s, and the industrial sector has accelerated sharply from a relatively sluggish phase during 2003 and continued to gain momentum until 2006. However, after peaking in early part of 2007, industrial production decelerated steadily, which clearly seems to have translated into lower aggregate growth.

The difference between growth rates of GDP and industrial production is the result of continued momentum in the services sector, which has not displayed significant sensitivity to either rising interest rates or an appreciating currency. Changes in the macroeconomic environment have undoubtedly affected certain activities such as currency appreciation and growth slowdown in the services sector. However, the aggregate continues to grow at rates that reflect both expanding domestic demand and highly competitive exports. Agriculture also contributed significantly in 2007, which currently bodes well for food prices.

Rising Inflation Could Make It Difficult For The Reserve Bank To Cut Interest Rates - The economy's vulnerability has been highlighted as there has been a sudden change in food supply due to rising prices. Call from the CPI and Left to withdraw support to the govt (Again!!) has made many people sit up and realize the problem has gotten bigger than we would have liked it to. However, the combination of slowing growth and persistent inflation threats from the supply side, for both food and oil, poses a significant challenge to monetary policy.

The Rupee Will Continue To Appreciate, but gradually. The most significant development on the exchange rate front was the large and rapid appreciation of the rupee during the second quarter of 2007. This was followed by a change in the RBI's policy. Previously, the RBI accumulated the balance of payments surplus as foreign exchange reserves. But the inflationary consequences of persistent reserve accumulation in the face of a dramatic increase in the balance of payments surplus motivated the change in policy stance. A sharp surge in capital inflows early in the first half of 2007 made continuous RBI intervention unsustainable. As a result, the rupee rose at an uncontrolled pace in the second quarter of 2007. However, in the third quarter of 2007, the central bank seems to have reverted to its stance of controlled appreciation.

The Biggest Threats To India's GDP Are At Home. India may be the world's largest democracy. But it also comes with a costly tag of not being able to move quickly on taking decisions unless a consensus has been reached among all of India's political parties. This does put India at a big disadvantage as it almost always causes one to miss the bus and act only after the fact instead of being able to take decisions at the right time. Because of this it should be pointed out that domestic factors are the main cause of this deceleration. Because the recent growth has been driven by domestic factors, India is relatively insulated from a mild U.S. and global slowdown.

India's growth and GDP is expected to fall to 7.5%-7.8% in 2008 from the 8.7% growth it enjoyed in 2007.

Nano: The World's Cheapest Car

Tata Motors today took the covers off the world’s cheapest car — the Nano. Over the past year, Tata has been building hype for a car costs a mere 1 Lakh (roughly $2,500). Since the name was unveiled only today, it has been popularly dubbed the “People’s Car.”

The car will have a 624-cc petrol engine generating 33 bhp of power. It will sport a 30-litre fuel tank and 4-speed manual gearshift. The car will come with air conditioning, but will have no power steering. It will have front disk and rear drum brakes. The company claims mileage of 23 km per litre. The car's dashboard features just a speedometer, fuel gauge, and oil light. The car does not have reclining seats or radio. The shock absorbers are basic.

Nano, the world's cheapest car, costs almost half of the cheapest car currently available anywhere in the world. Some analysts have criticised the car as they feel a lot of safety features have been comprimised. Compare with most cars where even the basic safety features cost over $2500.

The Nano is expected to be commerically launched in the second half of 2008. Not since the launch of the Maruti 800 in 1983 has any car gripped the imagination of a nation and indeed car manufacturers the world over so intensely. If commercially successful, the Tata Nano can alter the passenger car market in India, and perhaps the world, beyond description.

Ram Sethu – The bridge under shallow waters

Adam's Bridge a.k.a Ram Setu both meaning "Rama’s Bridge" in India, is a chain of limestone shoals between the islands of Mannar and Ramesharam. There is enough geological evidence to indicate that this bridge acted as former land connection between India and Srilanka. The bridge consists of a series of parallel ledges of sandstone and conglomeration, that is hard at the surface and grows coarse and soft as it descends to sandy banks. In the 19th century, there were two prevalent theories explaining the structure. One considered it to be formed by a process of accretion and rising of the land, while the other surmised that it was formed by the breaking away of Sri Lanka from the Indian subcontinent.

The Project
First conceptualized in 1860 and finally after fourteen proposals and 144 years, the Indian govt. approved a multi-million dollar project which is called the ‘Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project’. The purpose of the project is to create a shipping channel across the straight. The plan is to dredge the shallow ocean floor to create enough leeway allowing ships to pass through the channel instead of having to go around Sri Lanka.

What is the Issue?
Though there are arguments for and against the project – which have their own merits, there are various fundamental issues which are not yet addressed by the government.

Arguments for the project include boosting international trade by saving nearly 30 hours' shipping time by cutting over 400 km off the shipping voyage (as the ships don’t have to go around Sri Lanka anymore). Since the government is unable to prove any real benefits, its argument primarily centers on just a single point – a perceived future economic boost and strengthening the Indian Navy. Considering the cost of the project, which is a whooping 2600 crores, it seems a bit premature with to go ahead with so many unknowns.

Arguments against the project also give us some real issues to think about. The opposition against the project voices concerns related to its impact on the environment and damage that will be caused by dredging the area. Also, potential loss of Thorium deposits and increased risk of damage due to future Tsunamis is something that cannot be overlooked. The opponents, of which, there are many also claim that it will cause tremendous damage to the local ecology, marine wealth and affect the livelihoods of the fishing communities along the coasts of southern India and Sri Lanka. Besides, they say, no one is quite sure where the Indian government will put all that sand and silt it digs up.

The Religious Angle
There are millions who believe that the Ram Setu was actually the bridge built by Lord Ram with the help of Hanuman and his friends using floating stones and Rama’s army marched over this bridge to destroy the evil regime of Ravana. Apart from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata also refers to the continued protection of Nala Setu following Lord Rama's command. Kalidasa's Raghuvamsham also refers to the Setu. So does the Skanda Purana (III 1.2.1-114), the Vishnu Purana (IV 4.40-49), the Agni Purana (V-XI), the Brahma Purana (138.1-40). No one can doubt the religious significance that Ram Setu has in Hinduism.

Picture Taken by NASA

The Political Angle
The Centre has told the Supreme Court that while filing an affidavit, that there is no evidence to prove the existence of characters or events in the Ramayana and the Ram Sethu is not a man-made structure. The govt took a stand that since it is only a natural formation, it could be demolished and the canal can be built. This sparked off a controversy of mammoth proportions as the Center was seen questioning the existence of Lord Ram. DMK’s chiefs comments that Ram did/never existed made this worse embarrassing the government and pitted the rest of the country against TN.

The UPA been unable to convince the anti-Sethusamudram groups on any count. Its assurances and denials and justifications have only made matters worse. At the same time, since it needs the support of the DMK, it is trying to pacify one and all. In the recent days, the matter took an uglier turn when DMK activists attacked the TN BJP headquarters and injured BJP party men. The Congress for its part is trying to distance itself from the DMK and its statements.

Whether it was a natural formation or really built by Lord Ram one will never know and one can never prove otherwise, but either ways the Ram Setu is undoubtedly considered by millions to be a part of Indian heritage and preserving it should be on the mind of every Indian. While even the Christians and Muslims in India have never questioned it, it is sad to see our politicians making a mockery out of it.

Given below are statements made by our politicians.

Karunanidhi: "Some say there was a person over 17 lakh years ago. His name was Ram. Do not touch the bridge (Ram Sethu) constructed by him... From which engineering college did he graduate? Is there any proof of this?"

Vilas Vedanti: “Fatwa against Karunanidhi”

Rajnath Singh: ``Given the manner in which the relationship between the Congress and the Left Front is increasingly getting strained, it clearly indicates that Lok Sabha elections are no longer far away,’’

Jayanti Natarajan: "The BJP is in the midst of an existential crisis. The lotus is wilting. They are not just downwardly mobile, they are in an irreversible decline”

One thing is clear, the common man is not being heard.

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.