By IANS
New Delhi : Amid strident cries of a sell out by a section of the opposition, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday assured parliament that the India-US civil nuclear pact is a “good deal for India and the world” and that it has not compromised India’s strategic and national interests.
In callous disregard for parliamentary decorum, some opposition MPs kept chanting slogans calling the nuclear deal an attempt by the US to deceive India, right till the end of the prime minister’s 25-minute address. The din made it impossible to hear exactly what the prime minister had to say.
“I had given parliament my assurance that the government will make every effort so that the vision of the Joint Statements of July, 2005 and March, 2006 becomes a living reality. I believe that we have redeemed that pledge,” Manmohan Singh told parliament in a suo motu statement.
“In concluding this agreement, we have ensured that the autonomy of our strategic programme is fully maintained, and that Dr. Homi Bhabha’s long-term vision remains our guiding principle,” he said while stressing that the 123 bilateral pact does not cover India’s nuclear weapon programme.
“I will let history judge; I will let posterity judge the value of what we have done through this agreement,” said Manmohan Singh, underscoring that the deal will open the doors of global nuclear commerce for India after a gap of three decades.
“Let me end by saying that we have achieved an agreement that is good for India, and good for the world,” he said.