The passage of the nuclear bill by an overwhelming majority by the House International Relation Committee on Tuesday has come as a big moral booster for the pro-deal lobby, including the Indian Americans and those at the Capitol Hill too.

At the same time it has also brought the spotlight on those five Congressmen, who voted against the bill, HR 5682, titled ‘‘the US and India Nuclear Co-operation Promotion Act of 2006’’. As many as 37 voted in favour of the bill, which was sponsored jointly by Committee Chairman Henry Hyde and ranking Congressman Tom Lantos.

Among the five Congressmen who voted against the bill three were from the ruling Republicans — Chris Smith from New Jersey, James Leach from Iowa and Ted Poe from Texas — and two lawmakers were from the opposition Democrats — Barbara Lee and Diene E. Watson both from Watson.

Terming the passage of the bill by 37 votes to five as much beyond expectations of the Indian American community, which was lobbying for the deal, Swadesh Chatterjee said opposition to the bill came mainly from those lawmakers having a strong view on NPT or did not have any significant Indian-American population in their constituency.

Congresswoman Diene E. Watson, who voted against the bill, said one of the main reasons for her taking such a decision was her strong personal view that this bill would set wrong precedent and lead to proliferation of the nuclear weapons. Terming India as a ‘‘reliable steward’’ of nuclear technology, Watson said her concerns were beyond India. ‘‘I do not fear India with nuclear power. I do fear a world where both India and the US must face a nuclear Iran or a nuclear North Korea. Our key tool for constraining nuclear designs of Iran and North Korea has been Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, or NPT,’’ Watson told The Indian Express.

... contd.