Eleven Sikh members of Parliament urged to vote against the Indo-US nuke deal
Washington, D.C., Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - It is indeed unfortunate, nay it is a tragedy, that in the current controversial debate, about the Indo-US Nuclear deal, no Punjabi leader, elected or self-appointed, (with one exception), has mentioned that the safety of Punjab, its inhabitants, their children and their children, lies in a nuclear free South Asia.This Indo-US nuclear deal is concerned with civilian reactors only and gives a pass to the ‘mad Bombers’ in Delhi to carry on with their ‘hush-hush’ bomb making activity, without any international inspection/restraint, in some restricted militarized nuclear reactors. Even with a standing safeguard agreement the Trombay reactor, near Mumbai, was pilfered to provide ‘juice’ for India’s 1974 nuclear test which forced Canada to pull out and US to impose restrictions on Nuclear trade with India. History can easily repeat itself if the Indian parliament, on July 22, 2008, passes the Indo-US nuke bill. The Sikh homeland of Indian Occupied Punjab, which is already under threat from Pakistani nuclear missiles, will have to also reckon with Chinese nuclear missiles raining down from Tibet, in any future conflict as well. Chandigarh, as some readers may not realize, is closer to Tibet then it is to Lahore. It is only 130 miles (less than two minutes) from Tibet as the ‘missile flies’!
The Chinese, who are obviously monitoring the Indian debate on the Nuke deal, have delivered a synchronized ‘deliberate insult’ to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the champion of the nuke deal, in a manner and style typical of the Middle Kingdom, that shows their displeasure and future intent. According to yesterday’s Times of India, eighty heads of state and government will grace the Beijing Olympics in August but PM Manmohan Singh (and the Indian President) will not be among them because they have not been invited. (Read Times of India dated 14 July, 2008, by clicking at:> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Beijing_Olympics_China_invites_Sonia_not_PM_or_Prez/articleshow/3233667.cms ) As was pointed out in the Khalistan Calling of May 16, 2007, (> /home/khalistancalling/2007/may16.aspx <) China considers the Indo-US nuke deal, as, “a contradiction to the obligations of Washington as a lead signatory to the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty. The NPT obligates its signatories not to provide assistance to the nuclear programs of states (like India) that did not sign the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty. The U.S. Atomic Energy Act also prohibits nuclear sales to non-NPT countries.” The above mentioned ‘deliberate insult’ and the above Chinese commentary gives an indication of how China will vote when the Nuclear Supplier Group meets to decide on India’s application!
Only two prominent Sikh leaders, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann have publicly opposed the US-India Nuke deal during the current media debate giving different reasons. Badal has taken the stand that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being a Sikh was a non-issue. His party, he said, would go with the BJP-dominated NDA during the confidence vote on the nuclear deal issue in the Lok Sabha and the eight Punjab MP’s will therefore, vote against the Nuke deal in the Indian Parliament.
President of SAD (Amritsar) Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann, who is very clear and focused about his stand on the nuclear issue, was quoted in the Tribune as having said – correctly - (> http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080713/punjab1.htm#2 <) that, “the nuclear deal between India and the US was a flawed document and it was not in the interest of Punjab. A nuclear conflagration in the region would lead to destruction of Punjab.” Mann was also reported to have said, correctly again, that, “Punjab was never consulted on the issue of nuclear deal, hence it could not be supported. “Sikhs were for a nuclear weapon-free South Asia and supported peace,” said Mann. He was also quoted as having said that, “it was wrong that Manmohan Singh’s government should be supported because he was a Sikh Prime Minister. The PM did not take the Sikhs into confidence on the deal.”
In marked contrast to Sirdar Simranjit Singh Mann’s straight forward opinion and concern for the safety of the Sikh Homeland the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, broke some kind of flattery record in its venality, when it tried to manipulate the Akal Takht Jathedar, Joginder Singh Vedanti, by sending him a letter, demanding that he issue a ‘Hukumnama’ (religious edict) narrowcast to (> http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080713/punjab.htm <) all eight Sikh Members of parliament to vote for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s nuke deal on July 22.
As regards supporting PM Manmohan Singh because he looks and dresses up like a Sikh readers are urged to read Khalistan Calling dated May 26, 2004, headlined, “Aam Sikh ko Dr. Manmohan Singh kay prime minister bunnay say kyamila?" --- What did an ordinary Sikh gain from the appointment of a 'poster-boy' Sikh, Dr. Manmohan Singh, as Prime minister?" The wishy washy ‘impotent’ antics of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, for over four years, on the issue of accepting Pakistan’s generous offer, made in the year 2000, of allowing a corridor to Gurdwara Karatarpur Sahib, is indicative of how much Sikh issues move and touch Dr. Manmohan Singh. For details of the let down, and his ‘double talk’ on the Kartarpur corridor issue please click on the following link at: > /home/khalistancalling/2008/july02.aspx <
During the current Indian media debate, dezinformatsiya has been circulated that the diaspora Sikhs in North America support the Indo-US nuclear deal. This is not true as nearly two years ago, on November 15, 2006, Washington-based Khalistan Affairs Center launched, on behalf of the North American Sikh community, an Advocacy Campaign in the American media about the US-India nuke deal, to educate the American public in general and US Law-makers in particular. This on-going campaign is still alive. (For details read Khalistan Calling dated November 15, 2006, headlined, “Washington-based Khalistan Affairs Center launches advocacy campaign to educate U.S. Law makers against the US-India ‘Nukes-for-Mangoes’ deal,” at: > /home/khalistancalling/2006/november15.aspx <)
The Indian media debate on the Indo-US Nuclear deal has spawned the most divisive and partisan politics India has ever witnessed. This at a time when the country is faced with the possibility of financial emergency as inflation and oil prices rise higher and higher and the economy deteriorate further’. The main argument given out in favor of the Nuclear Deal by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his spin-masters and lobbyists, is that, it would provide ‘energy security’. Some energy security!
As of date nuclear power constitutes only about 3% (yes 3%) of India’s installed capacity of 140,000 MW. As per Indian Planning Commission estimates, to deliver a sustained growth rate of 8% through 2031-32 India would need a power generation capacity of nearly 800,000 MW. Even if fully implemented, Indo-US Nuclear deal could only create capacity of about 30,000 MW by that time. Even a higher estimate of 40,000 MW will constitute only 5% of the installed capacity, costing a staggering $ 100 Billion. Is this energy security?
It will be interesting to have a quick look at the related ‘oil crisis’. When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, price per barrel of crude oil was $25. It has now soared 560% to $140. According to experts normal laws of demand and supply would never cause such a surge in five years time. The top three oil producing countries – Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia – have openly stated that there are no supply shortages. With oil prices skyrocketing due to manipulation, speculation and profiteering, developing countries are being pushed into the ‘Nuclear power trap’ in the deceptive guise of ‘energy security’.
It seems that India too has also fallen into this Nuclear Power trap? The debate on the nuclear deal diverts attention from the inflation, high oil prices and all round general economic mess that is India today. This media debate on the Indo-US nuke deal has spawned the most divisive and partisan politics, that India has ever witnessed, at a time when the country is faced with the possibility of financial emergency, as inflation and oil prices rise higher and higher, the stock market goes lower and lower and the economy deteriorates further and further
The eleven Sikh members of Indian parliament, belonging to different parties, are therefore, urged to vote against the nuke deal to protect the national interest of the Punjab, the Sikh Homeland.