Now, get ready for a nuclear deal primer from 10, Janpath

NUCLEAR DEAL: DRUMMING UP SUPPORT FOR THE NSG WAIVER

Debating in Parliament to win the trust vote was easy. As the more important test, the aam aadmi’s trust vote in the Lok Sabha elections, looms ahead, Congress President Sonia Gandhi wants to take no chance.

Gandhi is holding a special tutorial to teach party spokespersons across the country what to say to the people about the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, an issue that, despite its technical intricacies like the Hyde Act, is going to be one of the major poll planks for the political parties.

So, the school for Congress leaders has roped in the best available teaching talent. From the prime minister’s special envoy on the deal, Shyam Saran, to Finance Minister P Chidambaram, National Security Advisor MK Narayanan to Rahul Gandhi, a who’s who of the Congress leadership will give lectures on Wednesday to a group of party leaders summoned from the states.

Gandhi has already asked her lieutenants to communicate to the common man the benefits the deal will bring. While Saran has been one of the key government negotiators for the deal from the beginning, Chidambaram, one of the best legal brains of the party, has also been busy over the last few months in explaining the legal complexities of the deal to the Left. He also participated in the Lok Sabha debate to defend the deal.

The star general secretary of the party, Rahul Gandhi, is expected to teach Congress spokespersons the way young people should be taught to view the deal. In his speech in Parliament, Gandhi claimed that young parliamentarians, cutting across party lines, support the deal.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will also speak. There will also be power point presentation by experts. Narayanan is expected to deal on the topic: “Indian nuclear programme... achievements, capabilities and requirements – the 123 agreement and the IAEA safeguards.”

Noted energy expert and Planning Commission member Kirit Parekh and party General Secretary Digvijay Singh will be the other two speakers.