US deal not surrender of autonomy: PM

In a strong rebuttal of the Left parties' charges concerning the Indo-US strategic partnership in the context of the recent nuclear deal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said that the engagement with the US did not mean surrender of the country's autonomy in decision-making process.

Economic growth has to be stepped up from the present level of 8 per cent to 10 per cent, he said. Foreign capital and technology is needed to achieve this. Inflow of foreign capital would add another 1-2 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP), which will take the growth rate to the double-digit level, said the PM in a debate on the working of the external affairs ministry in the Rajya Sabha today.

"If we are trying to create space for larger import of capital and technology, where do you look at..., at the countries which are exporters of capital and technology and which are willing to absorb our exports. This explains our growing relationship with the US, Japan, the European Union, Russia and China," said the PM, adding that in doing so the government was working in enlightened national interest and "not kowtowing the US for the fun of it".

"Whether anybody likes it or not, the US is the pre-eminent market economy and is the Super Power, but, where we don't agree with them, we state our position clearly," said Singh. He said, for instance, when he was asked about the invasion on Iraq during his last visit to the US he had minced no words in stating India's stance on the issue.

The nuclear agreement is rooted in the UPA government's "conviction" that economic growth cannot be maintained without energy security, which can be facilitated by greater access to nuclear technology.

Without referring to the Left parties' charges about diversion in the country's long-pursued foreign policy, Manmohan Singh cited Nehru to drive home the point that in "dynamic times", foreign policies also have to change. He asserted that the government should be judged by the achievements, and not by changes in relations with the US.

"I don't apologise for these changes.... Any notion that our deal with the US is a surrender of our independent thinking is totally misplaced."

Defending the government's decision to contribute to the UN Democracy Fund, he said there is nothing wrong in helping countries which are trying to emerge as democracies: "If we help nascent democracies like Afghanistan to stand on their feet, there is nothing wrong.... That does not mean that we are going to be partners in any attempt to change the regime."

The PM said that India remains the only nuclear weapons country to remain committed to universal nuclear disarmament.

The CPI(M) had earlier alleged that this fund could be used to change regimes in countries like Cuba and Venezuela. Indirectly countering yet another charge by the Left about Indian foreign policy becoming US-centric, the PM cited how the country's economic relations with China, Russia, EU, ASEAN, West Asian countries, and other countries are improving.

It was also reflected by the visits of the Chinese Premier, French President, Emir of Qatar, King of Saudi Arabia, et al, in recent times. Many more Heads of States like Chinese President, Bangladesh Prime Minister and Afghanistan's President are scheduled to visit India in near future.

The PM's reply -- spontaneous most of the time -- evoked stony silence and wry smiles from the Left leaders in the Rajya Sabha. There were just two or three members from the BJP, which had insisted on a debate on the working on External Affairs Ministry, during the discussions and subsequent reply from the PM.