By IANS
Bangalore : Indian Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal Tuesday attacked the Left parties for their opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal but said the government was confident of convincing them on the benefits of the pact.
“They (the Left) are reasonable men,” Sibal told reporters here after releasing a three-page statement detailing the benefits of the deal. But he accused the Left parties of opposing the deal for opposition sake.
Sibal disagreed with the Left contention that the Hyde Act overrides the 123 agreement.
“Article VI (2) of the American Constitution gives to international treaties the status of law. In fact it is the supreme law. That is why Article VI (2) is referred to as the Supremacy Clause of the American Constitution,” he said.
Sibal said: “Under international law, an international obligation overrides national laws.”
“No government worth its salt can afford to renege on an international treaty,” he said, adding the United Progressive Alliance government was committed to the agreement as well as to addressing the concerns of the Left parties.
The minister said political consensus had never been sought before signing an international treaty.
However, the nuclear deal had been discussed in Parliament at every stage and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had given assurances that it does not impinge on India’s sovereignty, Sibal said.
Hence “the Left’s opposition on the 123 Agreement is for opposition’s sake.
“If they have a hidden agenda, the people of this country must know. If they are anti-America and they don’t want the deal with them on that account, that also should be made clear to the people of this country,” he said.
“We want to work with the Left and provide a stable government till its full term. We await their (Left’s) response,” Sibal said.
He said the Indo-US deal will not affect the Iran gas pipeline project