The Indian government last night survived a knife-edge parliamentary vote of confidence, clearing the way for a landmark nuclear deal with the US which marks the end of India’s international isolation as a rogue nuclear weapons state. The vote came after weeks of political horse-trading which saw allegations of MPs being offered million-rupee bribes, others being assured of cabinet posts, airports being renamed and bizarre claims that some had even been kidnapped. Just hours before the vote, opposition MPs brought 10 million rupees in cash into the parliament to highlight the corruption claims, which will now be investigated by the parliamentary authorities. In the end the vote was won with a majority of 19. This was partly owing to sick MPs being brought on hospital trolleys and others convicted for murder being freed from jail to vote. The whole proceedings of the parliament seemed like a big joke.

While the NDA believes in India becoming a nuclear weapon state with L K Advani going on record saying if it comes to power it will renegotiate the nuclear deal, The Left parties have always opposed nuclear weaponisation. Yet the two parties are together. China is planning to increase its nuclear power production and it already has 11 nuclear reactors while six are under construction. Communists might have no problem with this but if India goes about doing the same thing then it is because India has become a pawn of USA, while it is of no consequence to the Communists that even China has a very similar agreement with the USA. Has China also sold out to USA? Remember these are the same communists who had supported China during the Indo-China war. The loyalties of our Indian communist seem to reside more with China then with India.

The crisis was precipitated when the coalition government, led by the Congress, lost the support of the 59 MPs of the Communist parties. The communists said they could not back a government that announced it would go ahead with the long-stalled nuclear accord. The Nuclear Deal signed way back in 2005 gives India access to fuel and nuclear reactors without joining the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It would lift restrictions imposed on suppliers to provide India with atomic technologies since it tested a nuclear weapon in 1974 without being listed as an atomic weapons state. India exists outside of the non-proliferation treaty, which allows the US, Russia, the UK, France and China to keep atomic weapons. Under the treaty, all other countries can have atomic energy for civilian use but not nuclear weapons. In 2006, George Bush offered Delhi a nuclear pact, which allows India to keep its nuclear bombs and access nuclear technology and material in return for separating its military and civilian reactors and accepting international inspections. It is an exceptional offer. Brazil and South Africa had to give up their nuclear weapons programmes before export controls were lifted. This is a big move. It signals India coming out of international isolation and that it can be part of the community of nations. This is important for a country that aspires to be on the G8 and maybe someday a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Singh, an economist who was the architect of India’s economic reforms in the 1990s, has emerged as a skilful political operator after being installed by the Congress party president, Sonia Gandhi, following India’s 2004 elections. In the past two weeks, he not only saw off Bharatiya Janata, the main opposition Hindu nationalist party, but also outmanoeuvred BSP’s Mayawati, the chief minister of India’s biggest state, Uttar Pradesh. She had convinced two minor parties that were expected to vote with the government to switch sides. "He’s proven to be a risk-taker and it’s paid off. He believed in the nuclear deal intellectually, morally, philosophically and politically. That’s a good thing," Shekar Gupta, the editor of the Indian Express newspaper, told New Delhi TV.

Last night in a statement posted on his official website, the Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, said that communist parties "wanted a veto over every single step of [nuclear] negotiations which is not acceptable. They wanted me to behave as their bonded slave". The communists right from the very start without actually being part of the government have exerted complete control on each and every policy initiative of the UPA, without ever accepting any responsibilities. The communists with a mere 59 MPs had held the Indian government to ransom till now. With these good for nothing communists out of the way the country might now finally see some desperately needed reforms.

The deal has to be approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, which monitors sales of nuclear technology. Most big powers have backed the deal, although Pakistan has raised objections. India now faces a tight timetable: the deal must make it past the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group in time to get it to the US Congress before Bush leaves office in January to guarantee the deal. Even if the US congress is not able to vote on the deal, with IAEA and NSG approval other Countries like Russia and France would now be able to undertake Nuclear Trade with India which was not possible till now.