PRAGOTI

The recently passed nuclear pact was not just a late win for an unpopular president, it was a coup for lobbyists and defense contractors.

Subrata Ghoshroy writes in Alternet.

The Hon'ble Speaker,
Lok Sabha,
New Delhi

NOTICE OF PRIVILEGE MOTION

Sir,
Under Rule 222 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha I would like to move the following Motion involving breach of Privilege against the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh :-
Motion :

[Updated: Now with complete transcript]. A wide-ranging interview with Noam Chomsky by Subrata Ghoshroy.

In contrast to the euphoric headlines in the Indian media proclaiming a 'nuclear dawn; and the 'remaking' of the world to suit Nuclear India's ambitions, the internal reception to the completion of the heated debate in the Nuclear Suppliers' Group in Vienna [Images] was sullen and frosty. When the decision, incontestably a major decision, to grant India a waiver from the NSG's tough trading rules was announced on September 6, there was no applause whatever.

THE triumphalist note struck by the UPA government and the Congress leadership on the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) clearance that has opened the way for the US Congress to adopt the 123 agreement, cannot hide the hard realities. However much the Congress leaders and the corporate media proclaim that India had joined the big league, the actual facts about the surrender that the nuclear deal involves has been coming out relentlessly from the American side.

Accompanying George Bush's presidential determination on Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation were documents that clearly laid out the fact that most of the clauses in the 123 agreement were actually in conformance with the notorious Hyde Act. Be it reprocessing rights or the condition on Iran, the US has interpreted whatever agreement it has made through the 123 with India to be suited exactly with the Hyde Act, putting paid to the Indian government's defence that the Hyde Act has no validity or influence over the 123. It makes immense sense therefore to discard the 123 agreement now, as there exist clear cut cases of violation of understanding or at-least deliberate misunderstanding between the two nations over nuclear cooperation. The Left parties, particularly the CPI(M) which was at the vanguard of the opposition to the 123 agreement, come up with a statement in the context of the presidential determination affair in the US. Attached also are the documents that accompanied the presidential determination.

By undermining its own fuel supply assurances and reprocessing consent, the U.S. has made bilateral nuclear cooperation with India virtually impossible, Siddharth Varadarajan writes in The Hindu.

Pragoti publishes first reactions to the NSG waiver given by the cartel to India for enabling civil nuclear cooperation with other nuclear suppliers in the world. Pragoti has for long opposed the nuclear deal and the reasons adduced by the government to push in the deal through. Pragoti also opposes any initiative by the government to haul in nuclear fuel for the purposes of nuclear weapon testing. Here, reactions from MK Bhadrakumar, a career IFS officer, who questions the government rationale to hold China responsible for the NSG waiver complications; Brahma Chellaney, a security expert who suggests the NSG waiver text is a sure shot goalpost shift from the PM's promises to Indian parliament; press communique from the Communist Party of India (Marxist), who have led the opposition to the nuclear deal from the forefront of the political spectrum; are carried. Articles; courtesy: Asiatimes.com/ others.

Vijay Prashad addresses a western audience and explains the work of the Left Front in India over the past years vis-a-vis carving a space in the mainstream polity, addressing and articulating peoples' issues, the Nuclear Deal issue and the changed political situation since 2004. Article courtesy: Counterpunch magazine.

The protest March held by the Students Federation of India(SFI) activists in front of Prime Minister's residence has drawn widespread attention.It was a spontaneous protest in the wake of the leak of letter of US President George Bush to the US Congressmen,which has underlined the concerns raised by the Left and exposed the deceitful stand taken by the Central Government on the Indo-US Nuclear deal.