Wednesday, February 27, 2013

IMRPOVING INDO-FRENCH AND INO-BRITISH RELATIONS


Close on the heels of French President Francois Hollande’s visit India, it was the turn of David Cameroon, Prime Minister of Britain with a team of English businessmen to India with the intention of improving business and trade relations with India and also for improving bilateral relations and to discuss happenings across the international arena. 
In the case of French President’s visit, it was the first visit with a purpose of bettering bilateral relations between the two nations, besides to give a fresh momentum to the development of Civil-Nuclear relations especially the controversial nuclear plant at Jaitapur at Ratnagiri, Maharashtra.
It is interesting to note here that the very mentioning of ‘Civil-Nuclear operation’ is something which our Prime Minister Sardar Man Mohan Singh holds closer to heart. While former Pakistan Prseident (Retd.) General Pervez Musharraf was in power in sleep and while awake used to harp on the subject of ‘core issue’ of Kashmir. Musharraf had to step down making a way for a Democratic govt with his dream of the ‘core issue’ without being fulfilled or materialized. Our Prime Minister while asleep and awake is obsessed with the issue of ‘Civil Nuclear Co-operation’ right from the days of George W Bush, former President of US who cajoled him into signing the Civil-Nuclear Agreement. Much water flowed down the Ganges since then but the ‘core issue of Civil-Nuclear Co-operation’ opens its eyes whenever a President or Prime Minister of a developed nation pays a visit to India or whenever Dr.Singh embarking on his foreign jaunts, be it to Russia, US, France or Britain and for that matter any developed countries.
Though several matters concerning both nations as well as matters like the Afghanistan or the ongoing Civil war in Syria, which within a span of two years, has claimed the about eighty thousand lives with no solution in sight. The Arab Spring turning sour, the perennial issue of Israel-Palestine conflict and cardinal issue of global down turn of European and US economics etal.
The burning problem of the installation Jaitapur Nuclear plant has hit a road block with the civilians in the area especially the fishermen community strongly protesting and with the local men already determined to stop the work of the proposed plant at any cost since they are very well aware of the dire consequences in case the nuclear power plant turns to another Fukushima or Chernobyl in future as they know the tragedies awaiting them and the gen-next for a prolonged period. The untiring efforts of both Maharashtra govt and the Central govt to lure the poor citizens with huge compensation running into lakhs of rupees for the peaceful installation of nuclear power plant haven’t succeeded yet. The local community especially the fishermen community who constitute majority of settlers in Ratnagiri and adjacent areas have made it amply clear that they won’t fall for lakhs and crores as compensation and what is most important as far as they are concerned are their land nothing but their land.
It seems the Jaitapur nuclear plant is poised to have a peaceful death with the local community standing firm. And if the govts of both State and Centre are thinking in terms applying force to grab the peoples’ land and try to evacuate them forcibly, entire Ratnagiri will turn red with the blood of local inhabitants.
Writing about the visit French President and the core dream of Jaitapur nuclear plant the visit off David Cameroon, Prime Minister of Britain has been relegated to the back ground.
Mr.Cameroon and his entourage flew into India as already mentioned- the improvement of business and trade-relations. It is his second visit to India as Prime Minister of Britain. Besides improving business and trade relations, bilateral relations and developments in the international arena naturally became hot topics. India’s apprehensions after the withdrawal of coalition forces from Afghanistan was brought to his attention by Prime Minister ManMohan Singh. Cameroon gave an assurance to Dr.Singh that India need not be concerned in the event of withdrawal of coalition forces by 2014. A minority of coalition forces will be there to extend training to Afghan forces and that both would provide security to the Indian nationals settling in Afghanistan who are enagaged in the infrastructure development of the war-ravaged country.
Britain’s not so warm relations with Pakistan is looked upon with satisfaction by the Indian rulers. Further more, Britain’s stand of not interfering on the ‘core-issue’ of Kashmir, as the latter is an issue which needs to be settled by both India and Pakistan holding talks ie. no third party intervention is warranted on the controversial issue. Besides Cameroon demanded Pakistan to rein in the terrorist elements who have become a pain in the neck of India and he noted the internal security in Pakistan being endangered by the militant elements resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians in that country frequently.
Britain, as we are aware is not in good term with European Union, due to the consistent pressures EU exert on Britain especially matters related to economy. That must have prompted him to look towards Asian countries by improving relations with Asian countries.
Immigration policies across Europe being a hot subject recently with protectionist policies coming to the fore and as a consequence many immigrants from various countries in developed European nations are forced to return to their native countries. Indian diaspora too have been made to suffer due to the immigration policies getting harsher.
In the course of his talks our Prime Minister reportedly apprised of the concern of the Indian immigrants facing the strict migration policies and in response Mr.Cameroon tried to mollify Dr.Singh’s concern by making it clear that Indian immigrants especially students are always welcome to Britain and if, upon completion of their studies are free to take up assignments in his country. His assurances were music to the ears of Dr.Singh. There were reports that about 24 percentage of shortage of Indian students and that Cameroon had raised concerns over this problem.
The visit of two celebrities Francois Hollande and David Cameroon have held out promises of bettering relations with France and England, to put it mildly.


No comments: