Anybody following the domestic response to the 123 Agreement must be appalled with the criticism of the deal. The gains for India out of the final deal are much more than even what Dr Manmohan Singh promised on the floor of the Parliament on July 20, 2005.

The concerns over India’s limited freedom in nuclear tests after the deal are self-indulgent at best. Can anyone expect the US to guarantee the supply of nuclear fuel without a reasonable assurance that it would not be used to manufacture nuclear bombs? On the contrary, India’s biggest victory of having gained all the benefits of a nuclear state, without having to sign the NPT, is being blatantly ignored.

Some of the opposition to the deal is motivated by an ideological hangover that has lost relevance in today’s India. But I want to ask my friends who are opposing the deal: if a similar deal was offered to Pakistan, would they refuse it?

Pakistan, on the other hand, has publicly complained about the deal, alongwith some handwringing about missing out on a similar deal for itself. It is also a big irony that the BJP’s NRI supporters in the US, who had lobbied hard for easing sanctions over India earlier, are criticising the leadership back home for opposing the deal.

After years of negotiations, Manmohan Singh has succeeded in scripting the best possible deal for the country. The political class in India should come together to acknowledge this achievement.

... contd.