The Nationality's Indian. Asian Indian.

India has an impeccable record of not proliferating nuclear technology and is "fully conscious of the immense responsibilities that come with the possession of advanced technologies, both civilian and strategic," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the US Congress on Tuesday.

Singh went to the Hill to address a joint session of US law-makers from the Senate and House of Representatives, where there is already a growing stir over yesterday's India-US deal on cooperation in nuclear affairs.

"We have adhered scrupulously to every rule and canon in this area. We have done so even though we have witnessed unchecked nuclear proliferation in our own neighbourhood which has directly affected our security. We have never been, and will never be, a source of proliferation of sensitive technologies," Singh told law-makers, some of whom are expected to work against the deal over the next several months.

Many law-makers applauded Singh's commitment, suggesting there was a good deal of support for the deal in Congress. Congressional approval is needed to change some of the domestic laws that currently forbid nuclear cooperation with countries that have not signed the NPT, among which India is one. It was one of the few times US lawmakers cheered Singh during his 40-minute address, which, while not exactly electrifying, was thoughtful and penetrating in its assessment of Indo-US ties and the global realities.

Singh also obliquely defended free trade and off-shoring before law-makers, many of whom have moved legislations to regulate it. "India's growth and prosperity is in American interest. American investments in India, especially in new technology areas, will help American companies to reduce costs and become more competitive globally. Equally, India's earnings from these investments will lead to increased purchases from the United States. The information technology revolution in India is built primarily on US computer related technology and hardware," he said.

To a Congress that is largely skeptical of the role of the UN and has reservation about the ongoing debate on reforms, Singh said India believed it is time to recognise the enormous changes that have occurred since the present structure was established. "In this context, you would agree that the voice of the world's largest democracy surely cannot be left unheard on the Security Council when the United Nations is being restructured," he said.

Terrorism was the other key theme in the Prime Minister's address. "India and the United States have both suffered grievously from terrorism and we must make common cause against it," he told a Congress that has often been oblivious to India's suffering in this area. "We know that those who resort to terror often clothe it in the garb of real or imaginary grievances. We must categorically affirm that no grievance can justify resort to terror."
(source:TimesOfIndia.com)