Issue 47 Vol II, September 15, 2007

E D I T O R I A L

Distress Signals

THE Indian people would like this coalition government lead by the Congress to perform on the promised lines and last its full term. They would also wish the parliament not to be held hostage all the time to noisy, ridiculous levels.  One wonders at the sense of political maturity and time of our ruling class. The Congress and its chosen Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh would risk the survival of the government on Indo US 123 nuclear agreement and go for an early elections. It sees the agreement as the sole arbiter of the Indian economic and political survival and a ticket to become one of the super powers. So no risk is small for the UPA government. The government must be feeling convinced of its achievements; alleviation of poverty, a push in farm and industrial sector and reform in governance that it would like to go to the people for a mandate. Contrary facts and established truth must be discarded at once and one should enter the world of make believe. India is once again shining.

There is no doubt that the Indian energy needs are immense. Nuclear energy is one good option, though not the only option. Hydle and thermal besides the wind and solar energy also offer cheaper, cleaner [except in case of thermal] and politically commendable and sustainable options. There is nothing per se wrong in signing a treaty with America to enhance our nuclear technology, but any country with a little sense of understanding of international relations for the past couple of decades, particularly after the Second World War should know the American hegemonic mindset and the price which the countries have had to pay. Pakistan is one obvious example. It has always supported dictators and undermined democracy in that hapless country. It is also a recent fact of history, if at all we care to understand that America created the monster of terrorism by funding, training and arming the jihadis in Afghanistan and through its military terrorism and senseless killing of lakhs of people for oil   in Iraq and elsewhere in the west Asia. The world today is mush less safer thanks to the policies of president George W. Bush Also, the long tortuous history of keeping the relations between India and Pakistan on a boil should not slip away from our memory.

America badly needs India to be its strategic partner to contain Russia and China. Its target is to prevent any strategic alliance among India, China and Russia as second ring to the increasingly unipolar world. This 123 nuclear treaty must be seen not just an economic deal and there too to help more the nuclear American technology industry being driven into doldrums than to help India, but how would it impact India’s sovereign rights and independent existence.  By merely saying that India is not a puny Pakistan or Iraq that can not stand up to the cunningness of American power, would not help. India needs to be really big and independent to sand up.  For this we require a different political leader and not the one who contested just one election that too he lost and has entered the highest office from the backdoor; via Rajya Sabha and the World Bank.

Let this issue be debated fully in parliament and voted upon.  It makes neither political sense nor it strengthens our institution of parliamentary democracy if the majority does not want the deal and we go ahead with it simply as there is no specific law for the executive to get parliament’s approval. It should be remembered that Indian constitution is clear that union executive can not act or take decisions independent of parliament which is sovereign. Articles 73 and 253 and Entries 6, 13 & 14 in the Union List of the Constitution refer to the powers of the Executive. Article 73, among other things, states that, “----the executive power of the Union shall extend (a) to the matters with respect to which Parliament has powers to make laws, and (b) to the exercise of such rights, authority and jurisdiction as are exercisable by the Government of India by virtue of any treaty or agreement.” This means that the matters on which Parliament has no powers to make laws are also matters on which the Union Government cannot exercise its executive power. It also means, on the other hand, that the Union Government cannot exercise its executive powers beyond the legislative powers of the Union.  Parliament is supreme in both letter and spirit. No one should be allowed to undermine it. And, let parliament approve this treat which is going bind India to the aprons of the USA  for long time to come.

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