RELATIONS MATTER WITH EACH NATION

Recently I happened to come across a short news report regarding the invitation extended to media watching public to take part in a competition titled “Indo-US relations- It matters” by none other than U.S. Consulate, Chennai. The very title seemed to me a bit amusing as it was fraught with some ulterior motives – a sort of invitation to encourage the Pro-U.S. Government in India cementing ties with the only Super Power- so they claim - on earth especially in the context of a scheduled visit to USA by Indian Prime Minister ManMohan Singh, beginning April who always keeps a soft corner towards it. Besides camaraderie and Photo Ops with Obama and his cohorts - there are umpteen of them – both nations are certainly (likely is not enough) going to seal ties on various fronts resulting in India losing further self-respect to the Super power. U.S. authorities are cunning and adept in prevailing upon India, on burning issues like further opening up of several fields like corporatisation of agriculture, nuclear energy - here read the raging-controversy going on India Civil-Nuclear liability Bill the presentation of which had to be postponed due to stiff opposition from a section in the Government itself and opposition parties including the leftists. To implement the Civil Nuclear bill in letter and spirit the passage of the Civil – Nuclear liability Bill is an urgent necessity otherwise U.S nuclear firms won’t be willing to install reactors in India. In case of a nuclear disaster on account of the lapse of a U.S. nuclear firm, a nuclear catastrophe resulting in long-term disasters extending up to generations will resulting in loss of lives and destruction of property costing several billion dollars. But they are averse to compensate the victims beyond a certain limit-a pittance to be precise i.e. US $500 mn, beyond which will be a huge sum will have to be borne by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL). Ponder over the days when Indian Prime Minister caring two hoots for the demands of the opposition not to go in for the Civil-Nuclear Bill with U.S. and the subsequent withdrawal of support of Left Front, he even didn’t have any qualms in roping in certain vested interests and opportunists to get the bill passed in Parliament at any cost. He even had to shed his integrity and principles for enacting the law in Parliament. Now the passage of the Civil-Nuclear damage bill has become a prestige issue for him and hence, the deferred bill, will certainly stage a come back in the law-making body - fruits of a stubborn attitude and its aftermaths which our PM has to pay dearly.
Another area which is likely to come up in the coming visit is the opening up of Multinational retail chains across India affecting the small scale retail markets of India and their eventual closure is a near certainty.

On the defence front an agreement to the effect I think which is already in force resulting in dumping of outdated weapons in India thus enabling the Weapons Industry of America amass massive funds certainly a drain on Indian exchequer.

Ultimately on completion of inking of various agreements, India’s sovereignty about which we take pride often, likely to be mortgaged after all the warm hand shakes, embraces, Photo-Ops, camaraderie and all sort of such nice things will not be surprising.

Recall the days when a large majority might be cherishing fond memories of those bygone days (I was only a student, then flipping through the pages of history) when Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru was at the helm of affairs who was instrumental in taking up the initiative in founding the Non-Aligned Movement) alongside Marshal Tito of the then Yugoslavia and Kemar Abdul Nasser, the then Prime Minister of Egypt the first meeting of which was organized at Bandung, Indonesia in 1961 attended by delegates from 25 countries.

In the place of one Super Power during those days one more Super Power was there - the erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR).

Both of them equally powerful and also at loggerheads, with the world then under the looming threat of a Third World war with both of them pulling in opposite directions Nehru, Tito and Nasser troika tried to distance themselves from the two super powers simultaneously maintaining warm friendships with both with the encouragement inspiration and support of a number of peace-keeping nations who also wanted to distance away from the two Super powers laid the foundation of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) all of them tirelessly tried to co-operate with each other in promoting peace around the world and also to prevail upon the then Super powers to be friendly with each other but in the long run their efforts to maintain peace between the both proved futile. The game of one-up man ship led to piling up of nuclear arsenal, an arms race followed and head of state of each super power keeping one finger always on the nuclear button.
A cold-war ensued between the both and this cold war served to a great extent in roping in certain developing nations who uptill then remained firm in NAM camp moving away from NAM entertaining and dreaming about false promises of extending economic support for the uplift of these nations. It was the beginning of the disintegration of a great movement and with the disappearance of Pandit Nehru, Marshal Tito, Kemal Abdul Nasser from the Global scene, the remaining developing countries under the umbrella of NAM according to their conveniences, joined each Super power block.

Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) as a namesake still seems to exist and NAM members’ so they claim even now, while remaining in alliance with powerful countries - remember Soviet Union has also become non-existent - with USA donning the mantle of the sole Super-Power on earth (Albeit tall claims, USA is also facing the fate of erstwhile Soviet Union)

Let’s for arguments’ sake accept “Indo-US relations-It matters”-and as a NAM member, the relations with each and every country matters. Such a mind-set among the nations across the Globe is the pressing need of the changing times and for such a mindset to dawn on each nation we will have to wait.