The Hindu : National : Pranab briefs Left leaders

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 08, 2005

National

National

Pranab briefs Left leaders

Special Correspondent

Left parties air reservations on accord

NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday met Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat and his CPI counterpart, A. B. Bardhan, and briefed them about the recent India-U.S. framework agreement that came under attack from the Left parties.

The meeting came on the eve of a public meeting by the Left parties here opposing the agreement. These parties suggested that the security and defence partnership envisaged by the agreement was not in the CMP.

Mr. Mukherjee briefed them about the salient features of the agreement and explained to them the details. Mr. Mukherjee had signed the agreement during his visit to the United States last month. He told that the agreement was a follow-up of the agreed minutes of defence cooperation signed earlier. Earlier, Mr. Mukherjee had said that there was no question of accepting a missile defence shield from anybody. He said there were gaps in the integrated defence programme but India would accept critical inputs that bridged the deficiency.

The two leaders heard the Defence Minister and informed him the parties had reservations on the signing of the agreement. The Left parties' articulation following the meeting would be made public at the meeting organised at the Constitution Club on Friday evening. Meanwhile, the CPI (ML) Liberation threatened to hold protest demonstration in the Capital and other places in the country on Friday against the agreement. In a statement issued here, the party said the Government must immediately come out of the "dangerous US-laid politico-military trap."

Don't topple UPA: Basu

UNI reports from Kolkata:

Veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu on Thursday warned the Left parties against any action that might topple the UPA Government and called for maintaining patience. "We have to see that the Government does not fall paving way for the comeback of communal forces. We do not have any other alternative,'' he said addressing the 26th State convention of West Bengal State Fishery Officers' Association here.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National