They speak loftily about energy security which doesnt wash when seen against the figures made available by the Govt's very own, the chairperson of the Department of Atomic Energy, the deal will increase India's installed energy capacity only by 2.5% by 2020. So the desperation with which Manmohan Singh is trying to clobber a majority, is an indication that the deal is not all about energy but something beyond. From the Americans point of view, the deal reqiures that whatever maybe the domestic political compulsions, India must fulfill the demands of America. If they get us a seat on the UNSC, they would also expect us to support them in their undemocratic ventures as they go about policing the globe. And this is anathema to the principle of democracy. India would be another vassal state. In recent times, this doctrine applies to any bilateral relationship involving the US. Remember the the Iraq war? Rumsfeld dismissed France and Germany as belonging to `old' Europe and welcomed the countries of `new' Europe, like Italy and Spain because they supported the USA despite strong domestic opposition.
So if one were to view from this angle and go back in time, 3 years to be precise when this deal was being presented to the world, an advisor to the US govt, Ashley Tellis, gave a thumbs-up because India had supported the US on more than a dozen occassions despite opposition domestically. Notable amongst these instances were, India's vote against Iran, its support for the war in Afghanistan and its endorsement of American positions on climate change, missile defense and chemical weapons.But the public here in India, is not aware of all these instances. Yet, India's recalcitrance in not supporting the US positions on world order, economic development and nuclear security, the final handshake on the deal is yet to come. Rather, what the US govt expects is that if India were to be a trusted ally, then it should turn a blind eye on the "oppression of Palestinians, organize developing countries in defense of Iran or repudiate iniquitous conditions laid down by the WTO; it must support the US in diplomatic forums and provide logistical support for US military operations in Asia".
So as a first step, the trust vote has to be won today, just to show that despite the squabble and grab, the Govt. of India has the backing of the Lok Sabha as a matter of principle cause in material terms the gains are insignificant as stated above. However, if the trust vote is lost, and the deal, the 123 treaty, fails to see the light of day, the credibility of the ruling class would take a nose dive and ties with the US will be damaged for a long time to come.
At the convocation address of IIM-A, last year, Chidambaram wondered aloud, "Indian ... democracy has often paralyzed decision making ... this approach must change." And after the deal was stalled last year, Manmohan Singh wondered whether a "single party state" would be preferable! This arrogant impatience of the elitist ruling class at democratic dissent underlines the very frustration that threatens the elites' global aspirations backed of course by India Ltd and the NRI cartel, as witnessed lately in the marriage of the Congress with the Samajwadi Party. Its this impetus that has brought upon the seeking of the trust vote and the sideshow of theatrics on TV which, in a lighter vein, I must say, spawn at least a few soap operas from the Ekta Kapoor stable!!
This seeking is viewed as courageous by both, the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the Govt. of the US of A which is not very good news for our democracy.
Our system, despite its imperfections is based on the idea that governments privilege their survival over all else. The idea that a government may imperil its own existence to fulfill commitments made to a foreign government is antithetical to the idea of democracy. This seeking of the trust vote, then, must be viewed as a loss of democratics space and the legitimacy of this government to continue in power. Quote this article on your site
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Terrible Tuesday
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
A lot of hot-air has been spewed on the treaty and has brought the Government to the precipice. It remains to be seen whether it will topple over or...
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
A lot of hot-air has been spewed on the treaty and has brought the Government to the precipice. It remains to be seen whether it will topple over or...
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