Reiterating her support for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the Indo-US nuclear deal, Congress president Sonia Gandhi counted the “historic agreement” among the party’s achievements in Government.

In her letter to Congress workers, published in the latest issue of Congress Sandesh, Sonia said all parties, including the Left and the Opposition, were kept informed about the progress in negotiations. “We congratulate Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his team of able negotiators who have hammered a treaty that satisfies all conditions laid out before Parliament, and bought home an agreement that is in the long term interests of India,” Gandhi wrote. Translating the complex deal in aam admi’s terms, Sonia said: “This month India and the US have signed the historic 123 agreement that lifts the decade-old embargo against nuclear trade with India. This will allow India to expand its energy sector to meet the growing demands of our economic growth and put an end to the power shortages that we are all familiar with. It will help us expand power generation for our agricultural sector and our growing industrial sector.”

Rejecting allegations, she said: “Throughout the negotiations with the US, Parliament, UPA allies, the Left parties and the Opposition parties have been kept informed.” She said the Government has negotiated with the US keeping our national interests in mind and India’s nuclear defence programme has been “in no way undermined.” This agreement is a recognition of the achievements of India’s scientists who have worked diligently to keep our indigenous nuclear programme alive, she said.