In the mad rush to change money and move on in life, most Indians are unaware of happenings of great import. For instance, the recent visit of Prime Minister Damodardass Modi to Japan was noticed and reported by the media but marginally discussed by people at large.
What we all noticed was the tone and tenor of aggression displayed by our Prime Minister while on that foreign land. Modi did not leave any stone unturned in his speech to Japan resident Indians in which he threatened the black money hoarders and crooks that he painted India was swarming with.
It is improper to sit in judgement of the speech of the Prime Minister. However, there were other aspects of his visit which also went unnoticed.
Modi was perceived as a man who took the international lead in putting nations together for greater research and development on solar energy. The global community was told that India was going whole hog in favour of alternative energy as the rest of the world had long ago started its efforts at moving away from highly polluting and dangerous energy producing processes.
Both coal and nuclear energy were considered to be in this bracket. In Japan, Modi signed the Japan-India Civil Nuclear Treaty and claims were made that great achievements would follow.
Kudos were sought because we were told India was the first non Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatory nation with which Japan had done such a deal. It seems the agreement has a clause which says that if the other country tries out any non power production usage for the nuclear plants, then the agreement automatically stands cancelled. In other words, this agreement binds down India from carrying out any nuclear tests in the future.
What is interesting to note is that, this time through, the government has as yet not listed getting the India-Japan nuclear treaty ratified by Parliament. It is possible that ratification may be sought at a later stage.
Here, one is reminded of the last days of UPA-I in 2009. The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had signed a nuclear treaty with the US. Lot of data was being spewed out by the government claiming that the next decade would be dark if the treaty was not voted in Parliament.
The political storm that ensued became cyclonic. The Left parties led by CPM opposed the Indo-US treaty and walked out of the coalition that formed the Union government. So much so that, the then Speaker and veteran CPM leader Somnath Chatterjee disobeyed his party directions and had cast his vote in favour of the government, which was high drama by itself.
The Congress resorted to purchasing Lok Sabha members from various parties including the BJP and BJD.
The then BJD Aska MP Late Harihara Swain was expelled from the party because he cross voted in favour of the Congress and against his Party’s Whip. Similarly, a few BJP MPs were also taken to task by their party for voting in favour of the Congress.
The situation reached a crescendo when few of the Opposition BJP MPs brought wads of currency and put it on the table of the Well of the Lok Sabha. That high political drama is probably not a matter of concern now since the BJP has an overwhelming number of MPs in the Lok Sabha.
What may concern some is whether the signing of a similar treaty with Japan needs any explanation to the country or not. The people should ask what the signing of the Indo-US nuclear deal has helped in achieving for this country. Similarly, apart from purchasing Japanese spares and components for reactors, what is expected from this new treaty signed by Damodardass Modi.
A nation that is unconcerned or hesitant to know about its own well-being and does not ask questions sinks into an age of darkness.