Sunday July 20, 2008, 8:08 pm
JD (S) may vote against Confidence motion
New Delhi | Sunday, Jul 20 2008


Giving a clear indication that Janata Dal (Secular) may vote against the Confidence Vote moved by the Congress-led UPA government on July 22, JD (S) the today revoked the suspension against its Lok Sabha member from Kerala M P Veerendra Kumar. With this revocation, the JD (S) will have all the three MPs exercising their franchise in the Lok Sabha, party Secretary General Kunwar Danish Ali said. Mr Veerendra Kumar has already expressed his intentions to vote against the Confidence Vote, as his political future is inextricably linked with the Left parties in its southern bastion.

He had even aligned with the JD (S) outfit headed by Surendra Mohan. The party has played its game close to its chest by not taking a final decision on the voting till the last day. If the party were to go along with the Confidence vote, it would have got only two votes.

But by opting to oppose the motion, the party, which had split, has reunited increasing its tally to three MPs. Mr Gowda's son and former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has attended the UNPA lunch held at the residence of Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party leader Yerran Naidu. However a formal announcement will be made by JD (S) President and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda at his residence tomorrow at 1500 hrs.

-- (UNI) --

Sunday July 20, 2008, 8:10 pm
New Delhi, July 18 (PTI) Exuding confidence that the UPA government will win the vote of confidence comfortably, Finance Minister P Chidambaram today rejected allegations of horse trading and corporate money power playing a role in the trial of strength.
He also made it clear that the government would not abdicate its responsibility in managing the economy saying it would be in office till the next elections.

"It is all entirely speculative. It is a creation of the media. I don't think corporates have any role in either saving or defeating the government. I think it is an exaggerated notion of corporate power," he told PTI in an interview.

He was replying to queries on media reports about the influence of the corporates and their money power in the ensuing vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha on July 22.

On the chances of government's survival, he said "my colleagues in the party, especially party officials, are extremely confident that we will win the confidence vote comfortably." He also deplored CPI leader A B Bardhan's allegation that UPA was buying MPs for Rs 25 crore each for survival and was using the corporates in this terming it as "outrageous".

"We have lost the art of moderation in politics. Every accusation and every statement is either exaggerated or extreme. The allegation of Rs 25 crore to win over an MP is outrageous.

"There is no basis for this allegation. We must return to the politics of moderation and use only moderate language and rhetoric in commenting on political development," the Finance Minister said. PTI

Sunday July 20, 2008, 8:12 pm


Past record of trust motions favours UPA

RC Rajamani
NEW DELHI, July 20: As the trust vote in the Lok Sabha draws closer, the question on everyone’s lips is: “Will the Congress-led UPA government survive.”
However, past record appears to favour the government as out of the 11 trust votes taken in the Lok Sabha so far, the government of the day won six and lost three. In one of the remaining two cases, the incumbent Prime Minister, the late Charan Singh in 1979 did not even come to the House to move the motion and resigned and in the other, the motion was not put to vote after the discussion as the incumbent Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee resigned in 1996 on the floor of the House admitting he did not have the numbers. The BJP patriarch’s detractors had called that government “the 13-day wonder” as it lasted only as many days.
Though the magic figure to carry the day for the government is being touted as 272, the number could be less depending on the members present and voting on 22 July. The Lok Sabha’s original strength is 545 ~ 543 elected members and two nominated from the Anglo-Indian community who can also vote. There are two vacancies. One member, Mr P C Thomas of the Kerala Congress, is barred from voting, though he can take part in the discussion. This is due to the Kerala High Court directive in response to an election petition filed against Mr Thomas in the state. This reduces the figure of those who can vote to 542, the simple majority of which is 272. The Speaker is called upon to vote only in case of a tie. The suspense surrounding Mr Somnath Chatterjee’s move ~ whether he is going to resign or not before 22 July ~ has added to the excitement.
The verdict in the first five Lok Sabhas ~ from 1952 to 1977 ~ was so decisive that there was no need for a confidence motion. Those were the days of Prime Ministers Pandit Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Morarji Desai who headed the first ever non-Congress government between 1977 and 1979. Incidentally, he later survived a no-confidence motion in May 1978 but resigned in July 1979 without waiting for the vote in the no-trust motion moved by the Congress led by Indira Gandhi.
Mr Vajpayee holds the record for moving the highest number of trust motions ~ three. In 1999 he lost by the narrowest possible margin of one vote (269 for and 270 against the motion). He won the vote in May 1998, securing 275 “Ayes” against 260 “Noes”.
Mr VP Singh won a motion in December 1989 and lost another in November 1990, securing only 156 votes against 356 against as his government’s outside supporter BJP withdrew its support over the Mandal-Mandir issue.
The late Chandra Shekhar won a trust motion on 16 November 1990 and in April 1991 resigned after his relations with the supporting Congress led by Rajiv Gandhi had turned bitter. Mr HD Deve Gowda won a trust motion in June 1996 and lost another in April 1997 when the Congress led by Sitaram Kesri withdrew its support. Mr IK Gujral who succeeded Mr Gowda won a vote of confidence on 22 April 1997 but resigned in November the same year after losing majority.
The late PV Narasimha Rao won a confidence vote in July 1991. He also survived three no-confidence motions ~ two in 1992 and the other on 28 July 1993 under controversial circumstances as he faced charges of bribe giving to several MPs to secure their votes against the motion.
Dr Manmohan Singh did not have to move a confidence motion in 2004 as he was assured of majority with the outside support of the Left parties. Ironically, the same Left has now forced him to seek a vote of confidence for his 50-month old government. Dr Singh is the first Prime Minister who cannot vote in the trust motion as he is not a member of the Lok Sabha.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 8:14 pm

Akali Dal to vote against government

Sarabjit Pandher

CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh has said that all the eight MPs of the party would vote against the UPA government during the trust vote on Tuesday. He ruled out abstention by even a “single MP.”

Mr. Singh was talking to The Hindu over the phone from Delhi after chairing a party meeting at his official residence.

He scoffed at talks of division within the party over the issue of “saving the first Sikh Prime Minister.” The party stood like rock with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, he asserted.

“Though there was no need for this, the Shiromani Akali Dal issued a whip to all its MPs to be present in the House when the motion for vote of confidence is moved on Tuesday and vote against it. This was done to put at rest all speculations.”

The party’s top leadership had explained that the vote of confidence and the nuclear deal were separate issues, he pointed out.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 8:54 pm
UPA Govt will win the vote of confidence: Opinion poll
New Delhi | Saturday, Jul 19 2008


A nationwide opinion poll conducted across 20 cities has found that people expect the UPA government will sail through the vote of confidence coming up in the Lok Sabha on July 22.

A total of 4,625 respondents were covered in the poll conducted by the Star News-Nielsen. However, a majority of the people felt that the BJP will come to power and wanted to see Lal Krishna Advani as the Prime Minister if elections are held. The respondents were asked nine questions which ranged from the nuclear deal to the major issues being faced by the country and the possibility of a general election in the coming months.

While 43 per cent felt that the Government was doing the right thing and the nuclear deal was in the interest of the nation,40 per cent thought that the US was dictating terms. The rest 17 per cent did not comment.

Advani emerged as the most favoured Prime Ministerial candidate in event of general elections being held, polling 29 per cent votes from among those surveyed, followed by Dr Manmohan Singh with 19 per cent votes. Sonia Gandhi trailed in third position, polling 13 per cent support, with son Rahul Gandhi close at 11 per cent support from those surveyed. Mayawati's Prime Ministerial aspirations got a low public support with only five per cent of those surveyed supporting her, though Narendra Modi was ahead of her with nine percent votes. Prakash Karat and Laloo Prasad two percent each, and Mulayam Singh Yadav and Sharad Pawar with one each, were others who garnered some support among those surveyed. Meanwhile, a 50 per cent of those surveyed blamed the Left for withdrawing support only for political reasons but a 33 per cent endorsed the Left stand, saying it was justified. A 17 per cent did not comment.

Most of the people agreed that Inflation is the biggest challenge India faces today, apart from unemployment and poverty. While 45 per cent of the surveyed felt that "inflation" was an urgent challenge which the country needs to tackle, 28 percent felt unemployment was the most urgent followed by poverty at 13. While terrorism was cited by seven per cent of those surveyed as a major challenge, only a six per cent felt that the nuclear deal was the most important and urgent challenge. Of those surveyed, 51 per cent blamed wrong government policies for the high inflation levels faced by the country today. They feel that inflation has been surging more because of wrong government policies and not so much because of the international oil prices. The survey has thrown up a thin margin between the Congress and BJP when it came to which party the people wanted to return to power if general elections were to be held tomorrow. While a 43 per cent of those surveyed mooted for the BJP, the Congress was not far behind with 39 per cent. What makes this margin more volatile is that seven per cent of those surveyed could not make up their minds citing "Don't know/Can't say." The programme will be telecast tonight.

-- (UNI) --

Sunday July 20, 2008, 9:04 pm
UPA will survive confidence vote: Amar Singh
Agencies
Posted online: Saturday , July 12, 2008
Updated: Saturday , July 12, 2008
Chennai, July 12: Samajwadi party leader Amar Singh exuded confidence that the UPA government would survive the trust vote in the Lok Sabha.
Amar Singh said at Chennai airport that his party, which had detailed discussions with former President A P J Abdul Kalam on the Indo-US nuclear deal, had appreciated the need for the deal.

"We are supporting the deal in the national interest. We will vote for the UPA government in the Lok Sabha on the trust vote," he said.

He said senior leaders of the country like L K Advani had opposed the deal, without considering the national interest.

Singh was in Chennai to participate in the Filmfare award function.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 9:08 pm
UPA sure to win confidence vote: Paswan
Indo-Asian News Service
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 (Patna)
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader and Central minister Ramvilas Paswan has given a vote of confidence to the Congress-led government saying it was sure to win the trust motion in Parliament and that the Indo-US nuclear deal was ''essential for development''.

After RLD leader and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad voiced his confidence that the Manmohan Singh government would survive the trust vote next week, Paswan has been doing the same in public functions in Bihar.

Paswan, a key member of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) with four MPs in the Lok Sabha, said the UPA would win the confidence vote as it has the support of ''old and new allies''.

The steel, chemical and fertilisers minister, who has been addressing gatherings in Jehanabad, Bhojpur and Patna districts over the last two days, said: ''The nuclear deal agreement is essential for the development of the country. All those opposing it are not interested in the country's development.''

Without naming the Left parties, which withdrew support to the UPA, or the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Paswan said: ''It is baseless that India will become a slave of America after the nuclear deal.''

He said it would pave the way for electricity in every household across the country, similar to the cell phone revolution.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) general secretary Tariq Anwar echoed Paswan.

Expressing confidence that the UPA would pull through July 22, he said new allies like the Samajwadi Party and other smaller parties would fill the gap caused by the Left withdrawal.

''The nuclear deal has got the support of a majority of people in the country,'' said Anwar, whose party has 11 MPs in the Lok Sabha.

Sunday July 20, 2008, 10:24 pm
The nuclear agreement is essential for the development of the country, All those opposing it are not interested in the country's development. It is baseless that India will become a slave of America after the nuclear agreement. It would pave the way for electricity to every household across the country & path of the development of the Nation as it is in the public interest at large.
Dr. R.S. Kadian,
Speaker, Haryana Assembly.

Monday July 21, 2008, 5:01 pm
New Delhi, July 21
With a determined Opposition making a valiant attempt to dislodge the 50-month-old UPA regime, the scene of action shifted to Parliament today where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sought a trust vote in the Lok Sabha following the withdrawal of support to his government by the Left parties over the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Unfazed by the united Opposition challenge to unseat him, a combative Manmohan Singh and his external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee came out strongly in defence of the nuclear deal, while Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani argued that the pact with Washington would make India subservient to the US.

After days of speculation over the fate of his government, the Prime Minister introduced a one-line motion in the Lok Sabha seeking the confidence of the House in his council of ministers. The trust vote was fully avoidable as he had promised to return to Parliament before operationalising the contentious deal, Manmohan Singh said as the treasury benches, led by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, thumped the desks as soon as he got up to move the motion.

The crisis managers of the ruling coalition appeared relaxed, in an apparent expression of confidence that they could manage the numbers tomorrow to ensure their victory when the trust motion is put to vote.

But the quality of the debate on the trust vote, marked by sharp exchanges between UPA members and those ranged against them in the Opposition never rose to the expected level of intellect, both in quality and content. It was Speaker Somnath Chatteerjee, who occasionally provided some relief to the yawning members, by making witty remarks.

While BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Advani sought to pick holes in the government’s arguments in favour of the deal, the Left parties charged the Prime Minister with betraying them by not adhering to the “coalition dharma” and unilaterally deciding to enter into a pact with Washington that would compromise with the country’s sovereignty.

The Prime Minister reiterated that he and his government had taken all the decisions in the best interests of the Indian people. “I assure the House and the country that every single decision, every policy decision was taken in the fullest confidence that it was in the best interest of the people of the country.”

Manmohan Singh reminded the House that unlike his predecessors it was for the first time his government, which had completed four years and two months in office, was facing a trust vote.

And only to draw a distinction between the current leaders of the CPM and the past leadership of the party, the Prime Minister praised the “sagacity, wisdom and visionary leadership” of veterans Jyoti Basu and Harkishan Singh Surjeet, describing them as the architects of the coalition government.

Opposition the trust motion, Advani observed that the government had been paralysed for over a year now. It was only talking about the nuclear deal while ignoring all other issues, including the runaway inflation and terrorism.

He wondered why the government did not incorporate the nuclear deal in the common minimum programme (CMP) it had chalked out with the Left parties for forming the government.

The Leader of the Opposition said if the NDA came to power at the Centre, it would not scrap the deal but would renegotiate it so that there were no restrictions on the country’s strategic autonomy.

Advani and the Prime Minister were also briefly engaged in a verbal duel when the BJP leader said Manmohan Singh, when he was the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, had opposed the Pokhran nuclear tests in 1998 on the floor of the upper House. Rebutting the charge, the Prime Minister said remarks on the tests and the criticisms were made in the context of sanctions imposed on India after the tests and also in the light of India’s stand on non-proliferation.

PM quotes Guru Gobind Singh

Manmohan Singh on Monday quoted Guru Gobind Singh, the Tenth Sikh Guru, to drive home his point that his UPA government was on the path to victory in the vote of confidence:

Deh shiva var mohe hai shubh karman te kabhun na daroon, na daroon ersoh jab chahe laroon, nishche kar apni jeet karoon

(With the blessings of the Almighty, I am not afraid to do good deeds and fight for them and I will ensure that I achieve victory)

The hymn formed the culmination of his brief introductory speech as he moved the motion on the vote of confidence. — IANS

Monday July 21, 2008, 5:02 pm
Washington, July 21
Ahead of the crucial trust vote that will decide the fate of the UPA government, the US said today that it would move forward on the nuclear deal with any dispensation in New Delhi-even if it was in minority.

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Richard Boucher said the Bush administration would have no problem in dealing with a minority government as “minority governments are common around the world”. “I don’t have them off the top of my head, but I mean, minority governments are common around the world,” he said.

“You can’t say, Oh, well, we are going to stop dealing with you till the next election or until some new coalition or something. That’s not for us to say,” Boucher said commenting on the future of the nuclear deal if the UPA government fails to win the confidence vote in the Lok Sabha.

He said the US would continue to work with any legitimate government in New Delhi to push forward the deal. “If they have a legitimate government -people who are empowered to run the government -that’s who we’ll deal with,” Boucher said.

“In terms of the US and India, we deal with the legally constituted government of India — whoever is running that government at the time, that’s who we sign agreements with. So, that’s not a problem for us,” he said.

He said the Bush administration was ready to “go as far as” possible to see conclusion of the deal. “We are going to work with the Indians, we are going to work with the Congress and we are going to take this as far as we can go,” Boucher said.

“We are very excited by the prospect, we’ll see what happens in the confidence vote, but, however, far the Indians could go, we are going to try to take it that far or further. So, that’s what we are going to do,” he said.

Asked about whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was little too late in pushing ahead with the deal, Boucher said it may not be “too late”. “I guess what I’ll say is its never too late. This is not a deal between a government and another government. It’s a deal between the US and India — it’s good for India, it’s good for the US.” — PTI

Wednesday July 23, 2008, 6:13 am
New Delhi: On a tumultuous day for Indian politics, speeches good and bad, drama over cash bribes for votes, the UPA Government won the vote of confidence in Parliament. The Government got 275 votes in favour and 256 against and abstentions were two. Total of 487 members participated in the trust vote.

In a House with an effective strength of 541, it was not immediately clear how many abstained. The results were announced after nearly an hour when officials corrected the

initial figures, which showed 253 votes in favour of the motion, 232 against and two abstentions.

In the din caused by BJP members demanding Prime Minister's resignation and shouting down his speech, Singh laid his reply to the debate on the table of the House.

As Opposition members pressed for a division, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee ordered voting by electronic voting machine.

Even before the final result was announced, ruling alliance members went to the Prime Minister and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to greet them on the victory in the confidence motion, the first in over four years of this Government.

The Prime Minister sought the confidence of the House after the Left parties, which provided outside support since May 2004, withdrew it on the issue of Government operationalising the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal by approaching the IAEA.

Ten MPs did not record their vote in the house of 531. Seven BJP MPs, two from the Telugu Desam Party and one from the Biju Janata Dal voted for the Government motion.

"The ayes have it, the ayes have it," Chatterjee announced, bringing smiles on the face of Manmohan Singh, who began receiving congratulatory messages from scores of MPs, Congress President Sonia Gandhi included. At the same time, wild celebrations erupted in the headquarters of the Congress party in the heart of New Delhi.

A beaming prime minister told reporters after the result, "India is prepared to take its rightful place in the comity of nations." The reference was to the nuclear deal, which the Government can now move forward without any hiccups.

Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi echoed the sentiment, "I believe this nuclear deal is in the interest of the nation. I am proud of the PM."

It was a dramatic turn of fortunes after a suspense-filled weekend. At one point it was felt that a divided but determined Opposition was running neck and neck with the Congress-led UPA and those who came to its rescue after the Left called off its support to the UPA over the controversial nuclear deal.

The two-day debate also ended amid hostility – which also marked much of the proceedings – with Manmohan Singh unable to give his final speech because of noisy protests, primarily by BJP MPs. They were demanding the resignation of the prime minister over the sordid display of tainted money in the Lok Sabha.

"We knew all along that we will have a decisive margin," Minister of State for Industries and Congress MP Ashwini Kumar said. "The Indo-US nuclear deal has been endorsed by this vote."

Saturday September 13, 2008, 8:33 pm
123: India rebuts Bush assertion
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 12
President George W. Bush’s determination to the US Congress specifiying that fuel supply assurances to India are not legally binding today sparked a major controversy with India asserting that the Indo-US nuclear cooperation would be carried out only on the basis of the respective rights of the two sides as contained in the 123 agreement.

With both the BJP and the Left parties getting fresh ammunition to mount attacks on the UPA regime over the controversial deal, an external affairs ministry spokesman said the government would ensure that India’s rights were fully protected while implementing the civilian nuclear energy cooperation agreement.

“The text of the India-US 123 agreement has been agreed upon by the governments of India and the United States. It is a public document. The rights and obligations of both India and the US are clearly spelt out in the terms and provisions of the 123 agreement. Once this inter-governmental agreement enters into force, the agreement would become a legal document in accordance with well-recognised principles of international law and the law of treaties,” the spokesman added.

Pointing out that India never commented on domestic political processes in the US or other countries, the spokesman, however, hastened to add that in working with the US in civil nuclear cooperation, New Delhi would be guided by the 123 agreement alone.

The government’s strong reaction to the contradictory statements emanating from Washington clearly indicates the differences in perception between the two sides.

Official sources said the government was surprised over the manner in which the US has sought to interpret the 123 agreement, adding the matter would be raised with Washington. The observation made by the US President while presenting the 123 agreement for consideration is seen here as interpretation of the pact “differently”.

The sources said the 123 agreement clearly specifies the responsibility of the US to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies, even if it terminates its own cooperation with India due to some reason. The agreement makes it incumbent upon the US to supply fuel by itself and by working with “friends and allies” to enable India to obtain “full access to the international fuel market, including reliable, uninterrupted and continual access to fuel supplies from firms in several nations,” they added.

The Congress also claimed that the US President’s determination did not reflect the true state of affairs. “It is not based on facts…India is bound by the provisions of the 123 agreement,” AICC media cell head M Veerappa Moily told reporters here. India, he said, would be guided solely by the assurance given by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament. Moily alleged that the Opposition was raising a hue and cry with the sole purpose of derailing the nuclear deal.

However, the Opposition was unsparing in its criticism of the government over the US President’s determination. Charging the government with a sellout on the nuclear deal, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh, who was attending the party’s national executive in

Bangalore, said the government must debate the issue in Parliament.

D. Raja of the CPI said the determination by the US President vindicated the Left’s stand that India has not got a clean and unconditional waiver from the NSG as was being projected by the government.

The CPM, in a statement, said the presidential determination sent to the US Congress, contradicted the claims made by the UPA government that it has got guarantees for permanent fuel supplies and on perpetual safeguards. “The Bush determination once more proves that the Indian government has consistently misled the people of this country,” the statement added.

Saturday September 13, 2008, 8:34 pm
Deal Within a Deal?
No sensitive N-tech for India: Report
Ashish Kumar Sen from Washington

Members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group privately agreed not to sell “sensitive technologies” to India, a decision that convinced opponents of the civil nuclear deal to eventually back the initiative, according to a report in the Washington Post.

The Post noted, “The agreement undercuts one of the Indian government's key rationales for seeking a civilian nuclear deal with the United States — that it would open the door for 'full civil nuclear cooperation' with the rest of the world.”

The NSG's previously undisclosed understanding helped persuade several skeptical member states to support a waiver authorising nuclear trade with India, the paper said, citing sources familiar with the discussions. "In the discussions about how to handle enrichment and reprocessing, it was made clear that nobody had any plans to transfer such technologies to India in the foreseeable future," said a senior U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was describing private diplomatice changes.

The NSG is also reportedly“nearing consensus” on a total ban on sensitive sales to countries such as India that have not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The move would “put such trade even further out of New Delhi's reach,” the Post noted. Ireland, New Zealand and Austria were the last of the three NSG members to oppose the India-specific waivers sought for the deal.

In a message to Congress on Wednesday, President George W. Bush said U.S. commitments on a “reliable supply of nuclear fuel” are merely “political commitments" and not “legally binding commitments.” This means an uninterrupted fuel supply would depend on individual presidents. Both presidential candidates – Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama – have expressed their support for the deal.

At the State Department, an official said Bush had determined that India was adhering to the NSG and Missile Technology Control Regime

(MTCR) guidelines. On September 5, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee stated: “India has taken the necessary steps to secure nuclear materials and technology through comprehensive export control legislation and through harmonization and committing to adhere to MTCR and NSG guidelines.”

The U.S. official noted Bush notified Congress, as required under the Hyde Act of 2006, that India has harmonized and has adhered “in

accordance with the procedures of those regimes for unilateral adherence.”

Meanwhile, support built on Capitol Hill for the speedy passage of the nuclear deal. Democratic Senator Joseph Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he was pleased Bush had submitted the package to India and added his committee would “act promptly to review the agreement in a hearing, as soon as next week.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who met Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice earlier this week in connection with the deal, told reporters on Thursday she hoped “work can be done so that we can take it up.” Noting the deal has support in Congress, Pelosi said it must “honour the principles of” the Hyde Act, which laid down the framework of U.S.-India nuclear commerce.

Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, who chairs the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, circulated a letter urging fellow lawmakers in the House of Representatives to approve the deal. “We should recognize both the historic nature of this deal and the emerging strategic importance of India in global affairs,” Wilson wrote.

In remarks clearly directed at critics of the deal who believe it is a proliferation risk and could lead to a nuclear arms race, Wilson maintained India has an “excellent record on nonproliferation and its nuclear weapons program is solely designed as a deterrent, based on India ’s own legitimate security assessments.”