The Hindu : Front Page : CPI takes exception to Burns’ remark

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Sunday, Jul 29, 2007
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CPI takes exception to Burns’ remark

S. Dorairaj

“The U.S. is trying to pressure India”

CHENNAI: The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Saturday took exception to the American Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns’ remark that the U.S. reserved the right to seek return of nuclear technology and fuel if India conducted an atomic test.

General secretary of the CPI A.B. Bardhan and national secretary D. Raja told The Hindu here that the Left parties were “awaiting the response of the Government to this.”

Mr. Burns’ statement only showed that the Americans were still up to their old game of trying to pressure India, Mr. Bardhan said.

During the recent discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the bilateral nuclear cooperation accord, “the Left parties have raised the question as to how this agreement is going to be reconciled with the Hyde Act,” he said.

The Government had told them that the agreement did not refer to the Hyde Act and India was not bound by it, he said. But the apprehension was still there, he said.

He asked the Centre to clarify what the nation could do if it faced such a problem after having invested around Rs. 50,000 crore in the atomic energy sphere.

Though the Left wanted to have a nuclear weapon-free world and a nuclear arms-free Indian sub-continent to start with, decisions on conducting an atomic test should be taken in exercise of the country’s sovereign powers and “not at the dictates of the U.S.”, he said.

He urged the Government to answer questions on how it was going to ensure continued supply of fuel, reprocessing of spent fuel without any pressure from the Americans and development of the country’s own expertise and technology in the sector without being circumscribed by any clause of the agreement.

“Our apprehension is that the Americans will continue to blackmail, pressure and use the deal to suit their own purpose.” The Left parties would make their stand clear on the agreement during the next meeting with the Government between August 5 and 8 after going through the fine print of the agreement and ascertaining the Government’s stand.

Haneef issue

On the conduct of the Australian Federal Police in the arrest of Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef, he said it only showed the “arrogance of the Australian Government.”

The Government had a responsibility to ensure that there was no discrimination against Indians settled abroad, he said.

On differences between the two Communist Parties in some States on certain issues, he said, “there is no basic difference in the political approach towards national or international problems. But if there are certain differences in emphasis and stress, it can be understood and it should not be stretched. I think mutual discussions between the two parties on such issues will lead to a common position.”

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