In his first comments hours after the power change on Capitol Hill, US President George W Bush made clear that passage of the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal remained one of his top priorities. Responding to a question at a White House press conference, Bush said: “I am trying to get the India deal done, the Vietnam deal done.” The N-deal Bill, already passed by the House of Representatives, awaits Senate approval. Friends of India said the “Bill is still alive” and chances of the Senate taking it up during the lame duck session next week seemed bright. Deal-backers told The Indian Express that it carried wide support on both sides and there should not be any major problem in bringing the Bill to vote.Sources said the White House last week indicated that the N-deal Bill may be elevated from third in the list of priorities to second, and only after the Vietnam Bill. There are chances that the N-deal Bill may make it to the top in case there’s no consensus on the Vietnam Bill. “The perception that once Democrats gain control of the Congress and come in majority in the Senate, the N-deal Bill will be nuked is not correct. All major Democrat leaders have committed their support to the Bill and they give top priority to their friendship with India,” said Swadesh Chatterjee, a Democrat and close friend of Senator Joe Biden, after the poll results were out.As the Minority leader in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden co-authored the Senate N-deal Bill, pending for several months now. The perception here is that he would not like his Bill to be killed or delayed. In fact, all key players in the Senate remain the same even after the elections: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Minority Leader Henry Reid, and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Richard Lugar.“There is a good chance of the Bill being passed in the lame duck session,” said Chatterjee. The lame duck session for the Senate begins November 13 and is expected to continue for a week, if the Democrats decide not to reduce its duration. A Senate periodical official said Senators could again meet for the second lame duck session on November 27 and continue till they finish in the first week of December.
