Rajeev, once again exellent article. America once again showed that money along with intelligent strategy and attitude can deliver results. Manmohan Singh just survived the trust vote. The exact strategic intent of Pokhran-II is killed. Popular media did not even delve into the matter, unlike you who are relatively less recognized - even mass replication of the content in your articles would have educated our citizens on the issue. But unfortunately everyone in power in our country wants to keep Indians dumb; so that it works in their favour. They have mastered the art so that even smart educated people get deceived. Not even the MPs who voted in the lok sabha today might know what they are voting for and how it would affect future of India. It just boiled down to some petty politics which was a lose-lose situation anyway. We were made to fight internally for something which shown to be in our interest by the foreigners - but never actually was. Does it sound familiar with the mentality of Indian princely states, a couple of centuries ago; who were comfortable with foreigners benefitting, but not comfortable with their fellow citizens competing and propsering?
Just say NO to this deal. India has survived 60 years without any help from external hand. Whatever development has happened due to India being at the driver seat, not letting a big brother drive our car for us. American's may have good intentions, then let them prove it by including us into the P-5. After all, we are getting in there without any body helping in another 10 years (India will be in Top 5 in every sphere including economy, military, etc). Also, Nuclear energy is not everything...our rural sides survives and be happy than our city counterparts without even have any energy or money. What is the guarantee that IAEA cannot make another mistaken report like that of Iraq and India being attacked by US forces. No body gains strength or power by accepting gift from Uncle Sam. See Pakistan - they have got lots of money/gift from US for the last 4 decades (compared to this US Nuclear deal) than India and in effect they are now in shambles.
Say NO to this deal and sign it if they can treat us as equal to other P-5 as a Nuclear Weapon State...we are not less than Britain or other P-5 in any case.
The great rajeev srinivasan would have waxed eloquently on the Nuclear deal had it been signed by Mr LK Advani, as the PM and Jaswant singh as the FM and the great manavendra singh wouyld have written a 1000 word treastie prasing the deal sky high, rather than tearing it to shreds. At least the BJP should have got its senses right. They started the negotiations, Jaswant singh spole to talbott many a time (after accompanying the jehadis to kandahar) and his son has the gumptom to say that the deal is bad for the country. Let Manavendra singh understand that charity begins in home. As for Rajiv Srinivasan, let him answer this question- It is easy to explode an atom, but is it easy to produce current from atoms. Alas we have failed commercially in exploitation of nuclear energy and we are paying the price for this failure. Let our great man think over this before eulogising the BJP!
RE:nuclear deal
by Brij D on Jul 22, 2008 07:48 PM Permalink
All deals are not the same. This is not the deal that the BJP would have concluded. Just as you can buy a house and love it, or buy another and regret it - the devil is in the details.
RE:nuclear deal
by Vas on Jul 22, 2008 07:47 PM Permalink
Tubelight - can you pleeease, pretty pleease(!), tell us, the low-class illiterate degenerates of India, HOW & WHAT exactly are we paying the price for whatever it is that you say we didn't do?
It seems to me that your so-called "argument" is more a grievance against the BJP than about the pros and cons of this nuclear deal.
...when he says "Not being a subject-matter expert on the minutiae of the IAEA agreement, I read the published views of a many commentators."
Those who support it are terms stooges of Western world, or USA if you like. Those who oppose are termed anti-development, anti-growth, etc.
If the deal is BAD, they why are so many scientists supporting it? While it is clearly stated that only those placed under IAEA supervision will continue to be under supervision, and ALL others that are outside IAEA purview are used as per discretion of India - for military or civilian use (without depending on external supplies of equipment or uranium). What is the hassle in this? We can build reactors purely for military use. Who stops us? Only if we conduct nuclear tests and use facilities or Uranium that is supplied for energy for this purpose, we are in breach and the NSG can then stop supplying or recall equipment that they supplied. What is the harm?
We have enough capability to overcome the engineering shortcomings and may soon develop thorium based plants. Let us have confidence in our scientists and engineers to deliver and provide them with requisite facilities to work on it, while uranium based plants are used to produce energy.
I think Indian Military and Scientific community are not dumb enough to submit all strategically important facilities to IAEA and affect our nuclear defence capabilities. Let us stop fooling ourselves!
RE:How can the author comment so authoritatively...
by Demo-crazy on Jul 22, 2008 06:17 PM Permalink
I never meant I believe in Rajeev! I was suggesting that Rajeev reads the lines of the various commentators to his convenience and goes on to state his opposition to the deal, while saying that he is not a subject matter expert!
Why has he not used a single point which was pro deal?
RE:How can the author comment so authoritatively...
by abhinav sarkari on Jul 22, 2008 05:28 PM Permalink
"For once, Marx was right: history is repeating itself, once as tragedy, next as farce......"
You got it all wrong. Marx, the historian, was seldom incorrect!!!
RE:How can the author comment so authoritatively...
by Brij D on Jul 22, 2008 07:54 PM Permalink
Half of all the IAEA 'inspectors' will be spies for foreign governments, such as the USA, and they will use their visits to develop contacts with people working inside India's nuclear program. IAEA reports on the use of facilities not under Indian sovereign control will become political tools to manipulate and pressure India. Such pressures may be ignored in normal times, but during trying circumstances, such as war or other severe problems, such pressures can be wielded by the foreign powers to make India act against its own instincts and its own interests.
RE:How can the author comment so authoritatively...
by Vas on Jul 22, 2008 08:06 PM Permalink
Many scientists are NOT supporting the deal, dumbo! Where have you been the past few weeks when article after article appeared in many Indian national newspapers with scepticism on the deal.
Our scientific community is NOT equipped to challenge US domination, once the deal is signed. The US has nearly all western nations support, when it comes to its dealing with non-cooperating nations. Look what is happening to Iran, and its nuclear weapons program. All European nations are supporting the US in its effort to bring Iran down on its knees. The same thing will happen to India, and India can look forward to NO support from other western nations when that happens.
US can force its defense politics down on India, and India will have no option than to tow the American line. The deal is not about energy sufficiency of India, but about US's military position in this part of the world. The UPA has clearly struck a silent "agreement" with the US to sell the country out! What the terms of the personal deal, between ManMohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and the US, is any body's guess.
VERY THOUGHTFULL AND USEFUL ARTICLE. BUT VERY LATE. WOULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED AGAINST THE DEAL HAD IT BEEN A BIT EARLIER. YOU MUST HAVE OBSERVED THAT SOME OF THE SPEAKERS IN LS HAVE QUOTED EXTENSIVELY OPENION MENTIONED BY OUR NUCLEAR SICIENTIES AGAINST THE DEAL; THE ARTICLE WAS IN REDIFF ALSO.
NOW WE LOST EVERYTHING. WITH MONEY POWER AND 'SUPERIOR INTELEGENCE' US AND CHINA HAVE MADE THE INDIAN GOVT. A LAUGHING LOT. WE WILL BE HUMBLE SERVENTS OF US AND CHINA IN NEAR FUTURE.
THEIR NEXT STEP WILL BE THE 'SOVIET MODEL', THEN THE IRAQ MODEL. IAEA IS ALREADY IN THEIR POCKET TO DECLAR INDIA HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAMME. IF THEY CAN DO IT TO IRAQ, THEY WILL DO IT TO INDIA ALSO.
From where does north east and uranium come in between. Rajeev just wake up, no country in the world which matters is a communist nation. Maybe china should have feeded its poor population instead of conduction olympic - thats the sort of viewpoint you are putting. absolutely absurd.
Stupid article from an otherwise readable author!!!!
by MSAT on Jul 22, 2008 04:26 PM Permalink | Hide replies
Rajeev has also been consistent in his opposition to the nuclear deal so he has taken only those observations that oppose the IAEA text..so what's the big deal if others have not changed their minds..BTW, I have in the past liked many of Rajeev's articles, but on the nuclear issue I am afraid I find his positions unfathomable, even idiotic..Too many of his well-known prejudices have locked his brain on this issue...Well, I guess, there are times in life when everyone will-nilly becomes an idiot
The lines of R N Tagore - Where the head is held high and the mind is without fear..........
Whether the N Deal is right or wrong is something which can be debated....
But if that is at the cost of being inspected by an external agency ( like IAEA or perhaps any other country indirectly ) then it should be stopped somehow.
Else, the initial parts of this message are defeated.
Hopefully, people would understand this point of view, at some stage.
RE:N Deal - UPA
by arun tailor on Jul 22, 2008 03:24 PM Permalink
whatever is the deal, the facts of the deal should be fairly opened to the parliament , so the people of the country also should know about it. I dont know why MMS(PM) is making so hurry for this deal. If he realy assumes the deal beneficial, and he is loyal for the country than what is the problem to make the facts open. Some thing is personal in this deal, thats why this PM is not telling the truth, and making hurry for the deal.
