Govt is entangled over nuclear deal: Left presses Manmohan govt for agreements.
You might recall for instance the photographs flooded with smiles when the present UPA government was joi
ned together in functional matrimony a little more than a thousand days ago. Such pictures aren’t news after 24 hours. But a divorce can make news every day. There are so many issues to deal with. Who keeps the house after the split? That is a tough one since the house would never have been stable without the willing consent of both parties.Before India can begin nuclear commerce with the rest of the world, it has two more stages to cross.
One, an India-specific safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Two, a nod from the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Negotiations at both places are in highly advanced stages.
Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar travels to Vienna in September to attend a scheduled IAEA meeting.
And the PM's special envoy on the deal Shyam Saran is currently touring major NSG countries including Russia, Germany and Brazil, to seek their support for an unconditional waiver for India to trade in N-goods.
The Left wants the government not to go ahead at NSG and IAEA. Technically, negotiations can perhaps be put on hold for a brief while. But the US administration will be seriously into election mode by end-2007, and as that time approaches, the pressure to seal the deal will intensify. And India does need energy desperately.Before India can begin nuclear commerce with the rest of the world, it has two more stages to cross.
One, an India-specific safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Two, a nod from the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Negotiations at both places are in highly advanced stages.
Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar travels to Vienna in September to attend a scheduled IAEA meeting.
And the PM's special envoy on the deal Shyam Saran is currently touring major NSG countries including Russia, Germany and Brazil, to seek their support for an unconditional waiver for India to trade in N-goods.
The Left wants the government not to go ahead at NSG and IAEA. Technically, negotiations can perhaps be put on hold for a brief while. But the US administration will be seriously into election mode by end-2007, and as that time approaches, the pressure to seal the deal will intensify. And India does need energy desperately.
“Till all the doubts are clarified and the implications of the Hyde Act evaluated, the government should not take the next steps with regard to negotiating the IAEA safeguards, which are to be in perpetuity, and proceed to get the guidelines from the Nuclear Suppliers Group,” general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Mr. Karat says.
He says the question is not whether it should be put to vote in Parliament or not. It is clear that a majority in Parliament is opposed to it.
He writes: “It may be difficult for ordinary people to grasp the implications of the nuclear agreement with all its technical aspects and intricacies. The supply of nuclear fuel, the fuel cycle, the enrichment and reprocessing technologies and the safeguards agreement are all not within the knowledge of lay people. Without going into the complex issues concerning nuclear cooperation, one way to understand and assess the agreement is to ask: does this agreement advance India’s interests, does it protect our capacity for an independent foreign policy and sovereignty? Is this an agreement only on nuclear cooperation or is it part of a wider agreement?”
The nuclear cooperation deal is only one part of the wide-ranging alliance that the UPA government has forged with the U.S. Prior to the joint statement of July 2005, it signed a 10-year Defence Framework Agreement. “It is evident that without the defence agreement, the Americans would not have agreed for the nuclear cooperation. This is part of a quid pro quo,” he writes.
posted by Pradeep @ 10:00 PM,
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India would start of favourites to win one-dayers, as per the previous record.
The Indian team
, scoffed at as a “coachless” bunch by many, is just one step shy of returning home as one of the most successful Indian teams ever.After an emphatic win against South Africa in Belfast (a first for India in a bilateral One-day International series against the Proteas outside India) and Test series win against World No. 2 England, Dravid’s boys are set for the NatWest One-day challenge which kicks off in Southampton next Tuesday.
, scoffed at as a “coachless” bunch by many, is just one step shy of returning home as one of the most successful Indian teams ever.After an emphatic win against South Africa in Belfast (a first for India in a bilateral One-day International series against the Proteas outside India) and Test series win against World No. 2 England, Dravid’s boys are set for the NatWest One-day challenge which kicks off in Southampton next Tuesday.They would draw inspiration from their show two years before that. The NatWest challenge in 2002, featuring Sri Lanka as the third team, will always boost any Indian team playing in England.This is as much because of then captain Sourav Ganguly’s bare torso heroics in the Lord’s balcony after his team’s world-record run chase in the final against England as the chase itself. India were struggling at 146 for five chasing 326, when Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif, then the new kids on the block, helped India snatch an incredible win.
Ajit Agarkar, Munaf Patel, Rohit Sharma and Piyush Chawla – who linked u
p with the team at the Heathrow on Tuesday morning – will provide fresh legs on the field for the shorter version of the game.But all four will most likely make the eleven against Scotland if the team management decides to rest those who don’t have age or fitness on their side.Captain Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan will get a week to recover from minor niggles, if any, and get ready for the series. So the Scotland ODI and the warm-up game against England Lions in Nottingham on Saturday could serve a dual purpose for the team. Not only will these give the seniors some time to rest but also present an opportunity to the One-day specialists to acclimatise.
posted by Pradeep @ 1:21 AM,
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BCCI proclaim to ban players from playing for India, if any players found aligning with ICL
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has once again warned players and officials against joining the Zee Group-sponsored Indian Cricket League
(ICL), which is lik
ely to be launched in September.The ICL is being set up by the Essel Group, which controls the Zee Telefilms.
Ex-India wicketkeeper Kiran More has joined the ICL Board, while former Indian batsman Sandeep Patil has joined as coach.
Former England skipper Tony Greig and former Australia batsman Dean Jones are also the members of the ICL Board.
The ICL plans a six-team Twenty20 event and hopes to field four foreigners and two current India players in each side.
"BCCI has already taken decision that any unapproved or unauthorised tournaments where our players or officials, who are with the BCCI, should not take
part in such tournaments. Either they have to choose their relationship with the BCCI or they can take any other job with the ICL or any other organization," Shah said.
Hitting out at the BCCI for threatening to take action against players who join the Indian Cricket League (ICL), former skipper Kapil Dev said the board's hostility towards the rebel series stemmed from its fear of being overshadowed.
"BCCI should not be threatening players because they cannot perform on the field under fear," Kapil, who is the chairman of ICL executive board, said.
"The board is scared of ICL. That is the only reason it is not willing to talk to
us," Kapil added.Kapil reacted strongly to BCCI president Sharad Pawar statement that the rebel series would be a flop as it would fail to find enough spectators.
"The statement that the BCCI president has made is shameful. If the board thinks that only the national XI can attract crowds, then it should stop conducting any domestic tournament," he said.
Kapil once against dared the board to sack him as National Cricket Academy chairman.
"BCCI is like a king and I am its subject. If it wants to sack me from the NCA then I cannot stop it," he said.
The BCCI may find it tough to implement its ban against rebel players joining the Indian Cricket League (ICL). Players may approach the courts against
the BCCI’s proclamation yesterday that any player aligning with the ICL will be banned for life from playing for India. Being a private organisation having
no authority over Indian cricket, despite being its de facto custodian, it has no right to legally represent Indian cricket.
Rahul Mehra, a Delhi-based Supreme Court lawyer reveals, “By birth, every citizen is eligible to represent the country, and no private organisation like the
BCCI can stop them from doing so.
Meanwhile, the ICL officials did not seem to be deterred by the Board’s latest move to thwart their league. “It is a sad and unfortunate move by the BCCI.
It will not make any difference to our plans. It is a decision that the players have to take,” said an ICL spokesperson.
Madan Lal hoped his move would not strain his relations with the BCCI.
"On my part, the relation stands the same. Cricket is my passion and I love coaching. I am happy that the ICL approached me. It is a very simple thing
that somebody approaches you for a job and you decide to accept that," he said.
Madan Lal is of the view that with the launch of the ICL, competition will grow which will benefit Indian cricket.
"It will create competition and we will see talented players coming up. It is for the good of Indian cricket only," he said.
posted by Pradeep @ 11:47 PM,
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