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Friday, Aug 17, 2007
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U.S. ‘unilateralism’ a matter of concern, says CPI leader

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India on Thursday maintained that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s assurances to Parliament on the India-U.S. civilian nuclear deal contradicted the statement of a spokesman of the U.S. State Department. He was quoted as having said that any nuclear test by India would terminate the 123 agreement.

Addressing a press conference here, CPI leaders Gurudas Dasgupta and D. Raja pointed out that the Prime Minister’s assurances had been given before the Hyde Act, the enabling U.S. legislation for 123 agreement, came into force.

Reacting to the statement made by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha, the CPI leaders said: “Every time somebody makes a statement in Washington, the Government will make a statement in or out of Parliament. They (U.S. officials) will say something, we will make clarifications. Is this the way a sovereign nation functions?”

Mr. Dasgupta said the U.S. statement was made outside the agreement and added that this kind of “unilateralism is a matter of concern” and wondered why the Government was not letting the country know all the details.

Sovereign decision

While maintaining that the Left parties were always opposed to nuclear bombs and stood for universal disarmament, he said the decision to make a bomb or conduct nuclear test remained a sovereign decision of the Government.

“It appears that the U.S. is trying to dictate terms to India,” he said while referring to the 123 agreement.

Left rallies

The Left, voicing its concern and opposition over deepening of military ties with the imperialist forces like the U.S., would take out rallies from Kolkata and Chennai from September 4.

Mr. Raja said CPI General Secretary A.B. Bardhan would lead the “jatha” by road from Kolkata to Visakhapatnam and Mr. Karat would lead the rally from Chennai to Visakhapatnam.

The two rallies would converge in Visakhapatnam on September 8.

Oppose naval exercises

Mr. Raja, who called on the CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat on Thursday, said the Left parties were opposed to the joint naval exercisesfrom September 4 to 9. In a related development, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury met Mr. Mukherjee.

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