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Friday, March 12, 2010

The Times Of India

11 March 2010

India needs a leader like Putin

Tarun Vijay

The dusk that begins with the arrival of Vladimir Putin must see a dawn of greater defence. The biggest asset of the Russian prime minister, who arrives in New Delhi today, is decision making. He is a no-nonsense go-getter and a staunch believer in annihilating enemies. He has a definite business agenda and no Taj Mahal photo ops this time.


His list includes commercial contracts for the joint development of fifth generation fighter and multi-role transport aircraft. An agreement to sell India additional 29 Mig-29 Ks carrier-based fighter jets costing $1.12 billion-plus for the Indian Navy. Aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov., which got into controversies for the delay and finally raising the cost, will be discussed and delivery route finalized. Russia’s fifth-generation fighter aircraft developed by Sukhoi Corporation is on the shopping list of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which would acquire 50 single-seater fighters and would induct 200 more two-seater fighters around 2016, according to reports. Under the 2007 intergovernmental agreement, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has been identified as the nodal agency for the project and a commercial deal on setting up a JV is expected to be finalized during Putin’s visit. And much more. Here are a few points doled out by government sources and lapped by observers from various quarters:

Defence

Russia will sign defence deals worth $4 billion (over Rs 18,140 crore). India and Russia will invest $600 million (about Rs 2,720 crore) to set up a joint venture to produce a medium-lift transport aircraft for the armed forces. The final agreement for a $600-million joint venture between Bangalore-based state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) and Russia’s United Aircraft Cooperation (UAC) to make new-generation fighter planes. According to the delivery agreement for Admiral Gorshkov, New Delhi would shell out an additional $2.35 billion for the upgrade of the carrier and training of Indian naval crews.

Space

An agreement on detailed cooperation on the development of a new generation of satellites linked to the Russian Glonas navigation system.

Nuclear

Separate commercial contracts for two more civil nuclear reactors of 1,000 MW each would also be signed during the visit, for the Kudankulam site in Tamil Nadu, where Russia is already building two reactors and had promised to build another two. This brings the number of reactors at Kudankulam to six (at 1,000 MW each). Another site, at Haripur in West Bengal, had already been allotted to the Russians, with the accompanying promise that they could build six more reactors there.


Moscow had, in fact, already agreed to provide nuclear reprocessing and that the language of the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA), initialled by the two PMs during Manmohan Singh’s visit to Moscow in December – the same agreement will now be signed between the two sides — allows for its sale and transfer.

Commerce

Other agreements include two MoUs on cooperation in joint ventures in pharmaceuticals, and an agreement on standardization in pharmaceuticals. When Putin meets Manmohan Singh he would oversee the signing of more than $10 billion in deals. Definitely this long awaited thaw in the India-Russia relations is a result of a well pursued diplomacy by Manmohan Singh and the credit should go to him. He has visited Russia six times during his tenure as the Prime Minister. The present Putin visit and the high-profile strategic accords on the agenda are the result of a series of talks and efforts. We were looked upon as part of the American camp, not to be trusted as an independent Asian entity. The traditional warmth between Russia and India was waning and Moscow saw Delhi as a part of the US gameplan to divide the planet into a two polar unit. In Moscow, Manmohan Singh declared that the India-Russia friendship was "rock solid" and "time tested". Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao described the chemistry between Manmohan and Putin aptly: "They are on the same page on Afghanistan, Pakistan and other global issues like economic downturn and climate change."


Putin expressed “solidarity and support” for India’s concerns on Jihadi terrorism and endorsed India's contention that Pakistan was yet to bring to justice the perpetrators of Mumbai terror attack.


"The joint declaration at Moscow in 2004 had expressed Putin’s support of Indian candidacy in an expanded UN Security Council and New Delhi’s 'full membership in the SCO' recognizing that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is 'an important regional organization promoting peace and stability and fostering economic development in the region'."


Agreed all this is not just radiant with a white area of angels. A series of MiG crashes, dubiously earning them the nickname of flying coffins, corruption and bribes in deals, pushing old, outdated machinery and endless delays in the supplies of vital parts to the defence sector are the flip side of this otherwise "time tested" friendship. But whose responsibility is it anyway to have the corrective measure taken, ensure transparency and buy hardware on our terms? Neither Putin nor Obama can be entrusted to guarantee India's defence. It needs an Indian character. If we have it , show and move ahead. If not, don't complain.


The regrown closeness is certainly helpful to India in keeping its balance of power in favour of national interests. Too much closeness with the US has never helped us. With China getting aggressive by the day and Pakistan not knowing what to do with its withering state as Washington and Taliban both stake major claims in its running, India has to find dependable and long-term allies, a gap which Russia fulfils maturely. Its fight against the terrorist elements is a lesson for us. Putin became a hero in his home not just for nothing. He saved Russia from the mass annihilators and brought back the Russian confidence. Young, sporty and at times vicious, he holds the key to multipolarism the world needs today. There is hardly is other world leader who can stand up to the US hegemonic attitude.


India is facing its worst crisis of terrorism in a spineless manner. Blasts after blasts, attacks after attacks have become a routine affair. In such a scenario what India needs is a leader like Putin who can not only use strong language but also take harshest possible steps to root out terrorism while taking all sections of society along without being revengeful to common citizens in whatever way. He has also introduced special measures to develop Muslim-dominated areas in Russia where he found lack of infrastructure is also one reason pushing locals into jihadi groups. Last week he was in Russia’s Ingushetia region to announce projects worth $1.44 billion through 2016 to develop the region which is considered a violent area where according to analysts poverty is also pushing civilians to join Islamist rebels. Last December after the train blast in Moscow, he reassured the public that the authorities would act "very harshly" against rebel groups, and took a vow to "break the spine" of terrorism. Before that during the G8 summit press conference in early 2008, his answer to a question from a French journalist stunned everyone into silence .


FRENCH JOURNALIST: ...Don't you think that by trying to eradicate terrorism in Chechnya you are going to eradicate the civilian population of Chechnya?


VLADIMIR PUTIN: If you want to become an Islamic fundamentalist and be circumcised, come to Moscow. We are multiconfessional. We have very good specialists. I can recommend one for the operation. He'll make sure nothing grows back.

He may be called an extremist. But in times like these it's better to be one rather than hold meaningless candles and keep counting body bags of those whose protection was your duty.

1 comment:

Vijay said...

Putin will never understand Sanatana Dharma. India needs someone who understands our Vedic roots and the innate divinity of everyone.. eesvara sarva bhootanaam .. People like Bal Thackeray failed because they never understood what Bharat stands for.