If you go by the almost dead Indo US Civilian Nuclear Cooperation agreement’s name,the nuke deal sounds very easy but if you think it is easy you cannot be further from the truth.As soon as the name ends,simplicity ends and complexity sets in.Requirements for the operationalization of the nuke deal include
- Negotiations with the IAEA for an India specific fuel supply agreement
-An agreement with the Nuclear suppliers group
-US Congress vote on the agreement
There is no need to look too far to know why the deal has been endlessly debated and yet it is dead.The left’s opposition to the deal is widely known but let’s look at the reasons various parties have against this deal.
I have to start with left as it is the main opposing force to the deal.The often cited reasons not withstanding the left parties have a particular fondness for everything chinese so much so that while they keep mum about chinese incursions into Indian territory(Sikkim,Ladakh,Uttaranchal),they are quick to term the deal as compromising for Indian sovereignty.I wonder when on one hand they proudly call themselves anti american,anti imperialism how can they be all for Chinese communist hegemony?
Now we come to the BJP which is the official opposition party in the parliament.The BJP’s stand is clear for unlike left it is not ideologically opposed to the deal but it sees the ban on nuclear tests unacceptable.The party is opposed to the deal in its present form.What BJP is interested is not the deal but the failure of this deal for this will be its main agenda against the Congress in the upcoming assembly polls.The party has been busy scoring political mileage out of the Congress-Left fall out.
BSP has shown way to left that the withdrawal threat can be real too.Given that behenji has no soft corner for Congress BSP’s withdrawal came as no surprise.Its a political master stroke by Mayawati because the timing is just so perfect.
While the SP was busy hogging the limelight keeping the cards close to its chest the Left chose to be its voluntary spokesperson.Now Left has told SP that if it supports the Congress it will have to do away with its minority votebank.
RJD,LJP,DMK,NCP,no i have not combined these parties into one group as if they dont matter much but this unlikely combination has arisen in view of their similar stance.Deal or no deal they just want to cling to the power.These parties are part of the compromise formula being worked upon by the Congress to avoid early elections.
What can happen now is a complex theory of permutations and combinations.The mathematics of politics is interesting.The most interesting would be the coming together of the left and the communal BJP(This is the name left has bestowed on it)to keep Congress out of power.SP still holds the key for it can help Congress reach the magical number of 271 if such a need arises.
My question is that when the 123 agreement has proven to be such a tough nut to crack for the honourable PM why do we call it 123? 123 sounds very easy,isnt it?