Nuclear liability Bill: Govt backs off to avert trouble

With the main opposition party the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the Left parties opposing the nuclear liability bill, the Manmohan Singh government on Monday played safe and deferred introduction in the Lok Sabha of the bill that provides for compensation in the event of an accident.

There were indications that the bill could be delayed till the second half of the Budget Session in April. The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill 2010, a key step in operationalisation of the Indo-US nuclear deal, was listed for introduction in the House but at the last moment the government said it was not going ahead with it today.

This triggered protests from the opposition with NDA Working Chairman L K Advani asking the government to tell the House why the Bill was deferred suddenly.

Indicating that it would not be introduced in the first half of the Budget Session that ends Tuesday, the government said, "There is no urgency to introduce the bill". The decision to defer the bill came as Left parties had declared their intention to oppose its introduction citing certain objections to its contents. They have dubbed the Bill as "a harmful piece of legislation meant to serve the interests of the United States and its nuclear industry."

The BJP has said it had "serious reservations" on the bill "since it caps the liability of American firms". National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon had met BJP leader Arun Jaitley last week to brief him about the bill, but the main opposition is yet to have all its concerns addressed.

The BJP on Monday accused the UPA of trying to push the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010, in Lok Sabha under U.S. pressure and said it would never support the legislation as by putting all liability on the government, it was transferring this burden to the taxpayer.

- Asian Tribune -