Nuclear surrender

In an 8216;exclusive8217; article headlined 8216;Manmohan stealthily works India8217;s nuclear surrender8217;, Organiser8217;s foreign policy expert M.D. Nalapat accuses the UPA government of capitulating to American pressure on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

In an 8216;exclusive8217; article headlined 8216;Manmohan stealthily works India8217;s nuclear surrender8217;, Organiser8217;s foreign policy expert M.D. Nalapat accuses the UPA government of capitulating to American pressure on the Indo-US nuclear deal. According to Nalapat, Sonia Gandhi 8220;has apparently directed Manmohan Singh to agree to the extremely harsh conditions offered so contemptuously to this country by the Bush White House. As usual working in total secrecy, two drafts of the proposed 123 Agreement have been formally exchanged, and both Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee are forcing the bureaucracy into embarking on a 8216;conclusive8217; round of negotiations without winning any non-verbal and symbolic concessions from the US side.8221;

The US, says Nalapat, has gone back on its initial commitment made in the Joint Statement of July 18, 2005 that 8220;as a responsible state with advanced nuclear technology, India should acquire the same benefits and advantages as other such states8221;, that is, be given the de facto status of a nuclear weapons state. It now wants to treat India as a non-nuclear weapons state NNWS, rid India of an independent deterrent and thorium-based technology, and deny India the right to re-process spent fuel with our technology. 8220;What Bush seeks is to trap India into an endless uranium demand and supply loop, which apart from keeping the powerful international uranium lobby happy, would serve as a useful controlling mechanism for bringing India to heel,8221; says Nalapat, adding that while India8217;s scientific establishment is resisting these conditions, the Sonia-Manmohan duo is all set to accept the US pact without resistance.

Growth pangs

This week8217;s editorial castigates the UPA government8217;s economic policies and its new 8220;war on growth.8221; Referring to Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia8217;s recent comment that the government has no choice but to slow down the GDP growth target to combat inflation, it says, 8220;This is a crude admission that the UPA has squandered away all the benefits of the strong, vibrant economy it inherited three years ago8230; The housing loans are proving a nightmare for the middle class, Overheating, experts say, was a reflection of the fact that the demand is pushing ahead of capacity in certain sectors and in turn leading to rise in prices.8221;

Claiming that the NDA economics 8220;were anchored in a policy of inclusive growth8221; marked by a stable price regime and burgeoning food stocks, the editorial claims that in contrast 8220;there is a mad hatters party in progress at the top.8221; There are clear indications of a steep hike in interest rate and 8220;the government has no institutional or market mechanism in place to calibrate the high rate of interest in an inflationary economy.8221; As a result, it says, investments will become more expressive and there will be a temptation towards higher savings. Big business will start rolling back project expansion plans and new ventures will be put on hold.

The editorial goes on to say, 8220;For three years the UPA had gone to town tom-tomming the high growth story as its single most achievement. Now the economic failure and disaster on the price and supply side are the excruciating highlight of the Manmohan regime.8221;

Hindu vote 8216;sacred8217;

The theme of Organiser8217;s special issue last week 8212; 8216;Is Hindu vote bank feasible8217; 8212; continues with a few more articles on the subject this week. Quoting the saints and sadhus who had gathered at the Third Vishwa Hindu Sammelan in Allahabad last month, VHP president Ashok Singhal declares: 8220;Hindu vote is sacred.8221; Recalling his meetings with Swami Chinmayananda who first underlined the importance of a Hindu vote bank, Singhal says that the first Dharma Sansad organised by the VHP in 1984 that took up the issue of 8220;liberating8221; the Ramjanmabhoomi temple was a pivotal turning point.

According to Singhal, 8220;Hindu vote bank was a natural byproduct of Shri Ramjanmabhoomi movement. The whole country practically saw it and realised its importance during this movement. Those who are questioning the feasibility of Hindu vote bank are on wrong side. The Hindus are waiting for a leader who can mould the politics of the country based on the Hindu agenda8230;8221;

Compiled by Manini Chatterjee