India nuked or was it ?

India’s stand on not linking the Indo-US nuclear deal with nuclear tests may have been contradicted by US President George W Bush in a letter he wrote to the US Congress. The 26-page letter links India’s commitment to abstaining from conducting a nuclear test to nuclear supplies. US based daily The Washington Post has revealed the contents of the ‘secret’ letter a day before the Nuclear Supplier Group is scheduled to meet over a waiver to India for nuclear trade.

PM Manmohan Singh has called for an emergency meeting with the Congress core committee to discuss the issue at 8.30pm in Delhi.

The letter’s contents are contradictory to what the Manmohan Singh led government has been insisting upon- that India’s testing of nuclear weapons will not come in way of uninterrupted supply of nuclear fuel under the nuclear deal.

To this effect, in August 2007, the PM had told Parliament, "The agreement does not in any way affect India's right to undertake future nuclear tests, if it is necessary."

However the letter, made public by Republican Howard L. Berman, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, appears to be at variance with the stand. It says the United States would help India deal only with "disruptions in supply to India that may result through no fault of its own," such as a trade war or market disruptions.

"The fuel supply assurances are not, however, meant to insulate India against the consequences of a nuclear explosive test or a violation of nonproliferation commitments," the letter said.

The letter implicitly states the US administration had discretion to disrupt nuclear fuel supplies to India swiftly and that the supply assurances made by the United States are not legally binding, but simply a commitment made by President Bush.

The letter was a reply to 45 highly technical questions that US Congressmen had put to Berman's predecessor, the late Tom Lantos. However, since the subject was so sensitive, and particularly to UPA government because of the political debate in Parliament, it was kept secret. As per Berman, the contents have been made public now so that in case of an NSG nod, the US Congress is aware of all the information it has from Bush administration.

The NSG waiver for India is not appearing a smooth ride as a few nations - Austria, New Zealand, Netherlands, Ireland- had objected to the amended draft. Even China had on Tuesday voiced concerns and its Foreign Ministry had said in a statement that the NSG must "strike a balance between nuclear nonproliferation and peaceful use of energy".

While the BJP and CPM have been quick to slam the revelations, the government has distanced itself from the controversy saying none of clauses in the 123 treaty are binding on India’s nuclear programme. Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari said, “This is said by Bush to the US Congress, and not our problem at all.”

He added that the treaty is extremely good and did not require a relook at any cost.