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Indian former PM terms Indo-US nuke deal "a shame"

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Aug 6, IRNA
India-US-Nuke-Reaction
Terming the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal "a shame", India's former Prime Minister V P Singh has rejected the India-US civilian nuclear deal and said he was very disappointed with the draft of the deal.

Singh said India should explore other options, like importing coal for thermal power, or investing in more hydro power projects, instead of subjugating itself to the US for nuclear power.

Speaking to journalists, Singh said here on Sunday, "All this hype about this agreement seems to be a sham and the agreement is a shame." He said the draft 123 agreement to operationalise the Indo-US nuclear deal was a "charter for dependence on the US" that gave Washington "unfettered" rights to terminate the pact and seek the return of all material supplied by it.

He said India doesn't seem to have got too much out of this deal.

"In essence, what India got is the right to consultation while the US has the right to decisions. He felt India would be subjugating itself to the US government in matters concerning the security of the country, which was "not a good position for India to be in".

Singh also demanded that the government make public the financial viability of the use of nuclear power and the percentage of energy equirement it would fulfill in the future.

"Currently, nuclear power comprises just three per cent of the total power produced in the country. I have been told by experts that this figure would go up to seven per cent even if our nuclear plants' capacities are improved many times over," he said.

Singh said the deal would make India dependent on the US for uranium supplies for power plants, "surrender" the right to conduct an atomic test and reprocess spent fuel, and open up nuclear facilities to American inspection.

"We can instead import coal, which can be done without any conditionalities, and set up thermal power plants along the coastline," he said.

The former Prime Minister said such a move would even dispel the possibility of sabotage of nuclear facilities and also avoid the trouble of disposal of nuclear waste. He also sought a mechanism wherein signing of all international treaties would require prior approval of Parliament. He called this a lacuna in India's Constitution, which, he said, should be rectified.

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