India has now a nuclear burden to carry

by N.S.Venkataraman

(August 27, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has realized his single point agenda of passing nuclear bill in parliament and bringing nuclear power projects to India at any cost. While he may be happy and satisfied man now, the burden caused due to his single point agenda has to be carried on by his country men for long period after Dr. Manmohan Singh would cease to be the Prime Minister of India.

The future India may blame him for his single point agenda, even though he has done better things for this country in his long illustrious career.

Today, nobody in India including Dr. Manmohan Singh would know what would be the exact investment cost in the nuclear power projects and what would be the cost of generated nuclear power that the country would get , after investing thousands of crores of rupee in the nuclear power projects and importing the machinery and fuel at a price that would be dictated by the overseas business houses.

Dr. Manmohan Singh has not answered this vital question and perhaps, about the necessity later on to subsidise the nuclear power to make it affordable for the industry and the people. If there were to be an unfortunate accident in the nuclear power project, the innocent people who would suffer and their family members would accuse Dr. Manmohan Singh for exposing them to such conditions.

The truth is that the country is not in desperate need of nuclear power that

Dr.. Manmohan Singh imagines. Even when the nuclear power would come as envisaged by Dr. Singh , it would still meet only less than 10% of the country's power requirement and the country can certainly do without it considering the elegant alternate options available.

These days, Dr. Manmohan Singh's government seems to think that spending several thousands of crores of rupees in non essential matter such as nuclear power projects and commonwealth games is of no consequence to the millions of deprived citizens of India. It is strange that such an eminent economist has failed to see that the scarce resources of the country are vitally needed for several other nation building programmes such as poverty alleviation, education, health etc.

Many in this country really wonder as to what has driven Dr. Manmohan Singh to take such a tunnel view. People still think that he is an honest man and would be guided only by the national interests and would always give him the benefit of doubt. But, still, he has made even his pledged admirers unable to see his logic and approach to this nuclear bill issue.

Finally, the helpless country men who seem to have better vision than Dr. Manmohan Singh towards this nuclear issue , now wonder as to why the principal opposition party suddenly reversed its stand and went with Dr. Manmohan Singh in passing the bill.

Is it possible that the same forces that influenced Dr. Manmohan Singh have also influenced the principal opposition party ?