Wheeling ‘deal’ing

A few years ago, I sat amid IITians listening to a discourse by R Chidambaram, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, on the evolution of the Indian nuclear programme. Chidambaram dealt about the transfer of technology during the conclusion of his speech. There were two major blocks in the field of nuclear technology, he said. The US and other western countries, such as France formed one block. The other block consisted of the erstwhile Soviet Union, China and Pakistan.
Technology flowed from each superpower to the members of their block. Chidambaram then went on to draw a huge circle beside the two blocks and proclaimed, “This is my good old India, and it stands apart relying on indigenous technology.” Chidambaram got a standing ovation from the students and a rapturous applause that reverberated through the auditorium for several minutes.
In a nation that has produced several distinguished nuclear scientists, politicians are making a desperate attempt to hijack the nuclear deal debate. Questions regarding the deal can be best answered by experts in the nuclear field and not by self-serving turncoats. A host of tricky and wide-ranging issues have to be addressed regarding the deal. Will relying on borrowed technology sound a death knell for indigenous technology development efforts? Will the deal ensure uninterrupted supply of nuclear fuel or transform the country into another vassal state of the US? The UPA government’s resolve is driven by the commitment given to the US government and the BJP’s by its hurry to capture power.
The Left parties would rather cede ground to China than ink a deal with the US. It’s rather unfortunate that even Parliament, which has politicians of all hues, doesn’t have a single scientist as its member to open the debate in the House. Enlightened national interests determine the course of international treaties. Ironically, deals are now dictating the fates of governments.