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| Agreement in US, disagreement within India | | Delhi won't permit changes in nuclear legislation: PM | | PARLIAMENTARY CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JULY 27: The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, declared on Thursday that India would not accept any changes in the agreed nuclear legislation.
At a time when the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement crossed yet another hurdle when US House of Representatives passed the agreement, disagreements within Indian political fraternity were too evident to be missed. In fact, the Rajya Sabha witnessed noisy scenes with the Left allies and NDA-led Opposition protesting the deal.
The Prime Minister was forced to declare on the floor of the House that India would not accept any changes in the agreed nuclear legislation. “I have spoken to President Bush myself. I have assurance from the US administration that the terms discussed on July 18 will not be tampered with. If US legislation process leads to an end result which is not consistent with what we have agreed on, that will be the deciding factor on what we will do next,” Manmohan Singh said.
The Opposition parties and the Left allies expressed dissatisfaction with Manmohan Singh’s statement that there would be no going back on the agreed terms and conditions of the nuclear deal. The Opposition leaders walked out of the Rajya Sabha and were soon joined by the Samajwadi Party and the Communist Party of India – Marxist. Rajya Sabha was adjourned after the walkout.
“The Bill passed by the House of Representatives contains conditions set by the US Congress. These are contrary to the assurances given to Parliament by the PM,” BJP leader Yashwant Sinha says. Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh pointed out that the Congress must realise its isolation on the issue. CPI(M)'s Brinda Karat had made her party's opposition to the nuclear deal absolutely clear. "We would like the government to agree to a statement that reflects sense of the House," Brinda Karat said.
The NDA protest followed Prime Minister's reply during Question Hour in which he said that he was not in a position to say exactly what the eventual bill or deal would "look like" when it is placed before the US Senate and the full Congress. He also said that India has the option not to accept the bill if it compromised with the July 18 agreement.in any way.
"I cannot influence US legislation. The US administration must persuade Congress on India's concerns", Manmohan Singh said adding: "Whether the US legislative process leads to a final product that is not acceptable to us would be the determining factor...we must have the patience. The Opposition was not satisfied with the Prime Minister's answer and choose to walk out of the House.
On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives passed the July 18, 2005 India-US civilian nuclear deal by a majority vote of 359 to 68 soon after Manmohan Singh told the Lok Sabha that India would make no compromises on the provisions of the Indo-US joint statement. Intervening during Question Hour, the Prime Minister said on Wednesday that he was prepared to make a suo-motu statement on the issue for a debate. He said he had on more than one occasion shared the government's view in Parliament and made it clear that New Delhi will not compromise and that everything will be transparent.
The deal though will take effect only when the Senate also passes a similar legislation later this year. The bill will change existing American laws in order to give India greater access to sensitive U.S. technology. The draft bill was earlier approved with an overwhelming 37-5 in the House International Relations Committee on June 26.
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