In a historic and epoch making event on 2nd October’08, the 100 member US senate passed the Indo-US nuclear deal by 86 to13 votes (with senator Edward Kennedy abstaining) after more than three years of its initiation. The House of Representatives has already cleared the bill on 27th September’08 by 298 to 116 votes.
What was conspicuous in the voting pattern is that all the three senators vying for top political jobs at White House in next US-elections voted for the bill. The senators are, Democratic presidential candidates Barac Obama and his running mate Joseph Biden and the Republican presidential candidates John McCain.
The bipartisan voting clearly indicated that the Indo-US relations have entered a phase of consolidation not withstanding who becomes the President of US. The bill now need the signature of President Bush to become law which is expected to be done in a week’s time.
As the opponents of the deal could not garner enough speakers against the bill, the debate was over one hour ahead of scheduled time, an event unheard in the history of even rubber stamp legislatures like that of erstwhile USSR or National People’s Congress of China.
As per report of Press Trust of India, senator Chistopher Dodd, the Acting Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in his opening remark urged his colleagues to approve the HR 7081 bill on the civil nuclear cooperation between India and US saying, “I rise to urge the passage of this bill, approving the India-US peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement. This bill enables the United States and India to chart a new course of relations between our two great democracies. There are compelling geopolitical reasons to move forward this relationship.”
Two amendments moved by democrat senators Byron Dorgan and Jeff Bingaman to ensure that US Nuclear exports to India do not boost India’s Nuclear weapons programs. The amendments were rejected by voice votes. The bill however has a paragraph that allows US to withdraw nuclear cooperation with India, if India conducts a nuclear test.
Source: http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080067383&ch=10/1/2008%208:43:00%20PM
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