Cong arms cadres against Left with booklet on n-deal

To enable party workers to respond to the Left’s campaign against the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, the Congress has come out with a booklet...

To enable party workers to respond to the Left’s campaign against the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, the Congress has come out with a booklet countering the Left’s arguments point by point. The 21-page document is to be sent to state units of the Congress for circulation at the district and block levels.

The move comes at a time when the Congress leadership is sensing the inevitability of mid-term polls given the Left’s stridency on this issue even at the meetings of UPA-Left committee on the nuclear deal. The booklet rejects Left charges relating to the Hyde Act, the nuclear test and autonomy of India’s strategic nuclear programmes, among others.

The party leadership had earlier deputed Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal to tour the country and address all misgivings related to the nuclear deal. To this end, the minister has already addressed press conferences in West Bengal, Kerala and Karnataka. On Friday, Sibal explained the intricacies of the nuclear deal to party leaders at the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters.

“It is clear that the Left is only buying time before it withdraws support. We would rather choose our own timing to go for elections,” said a senior Congress leader. Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior party leaders and key ministers of the Government had held deliberations on this issue at the PM’s residence last week. “Ideally, we should present a dream Budget and go for elections early next year. But, nothing has been decided yet,” said Congress sources.

Party leaders asserted that the Congress had got a mandate from the people for closer ties with the US, even though it was not a part of the National Common Minimum Programme. The Congress manifesto 2004 stated, “The Congress will expand trade and investment relations with China and with countries of East Asia. It will revive the country’s close ties with West Asia and other non-aligned countries. It will reaffirm our traditional bonds with countries like Russia, Japan and the European Union. It will engage the United States in scientific, technological, strategic and commercial cooperation.”

Meanwhile, the party’s 21-page booklet sought to counter “inadequate information, cynical criticism and partisan politics”. It said the 123 Agreement was not at the cost of the autonomy of India’s strategic nuclear programme, its three-stage programme and research and development activities.

Referring to the Hyde Act it said, “It is only a US law. It is not binding on India. We have entered into a bilateral agreement with the US.”

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“As far as India is concerned we are committed to the terms and provisions of the 123 agreement only,” said the booklet. It dealt with all the issues raised by the Left from time to time.