The Hindu : National : CPI(M) plans massive campaign

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 06, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

CPI(M) plans massive campaign

P.V.V. Murthi

Government has lost people’s trust: Brinda Karat

“Everything about the nuclear deal was shrouded in secrecy”
Government faulted for not getting closer to countries such as Iran

VELLORE: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) will mobilise all non-Congress and non-BJP forces for a major campaign on issues facing the people, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat said on Tuesday.

Talking to newspersons here, Ms. Karat described the incidents on July 21 and 22 in Parliament as “nothing short of a murder of democracy.” “In one of the worst incidents in India’s Parliamentary history, Parliament saw the display of money to buy support for the Congress-led government. The Congress-led government may have won the vote, but it lost the trust of the people, and therefore it has lost the right to run the government,” she said.

Referring to the statement of the U.S. Ambassador that India could not ask for any unconditional nuclear deal, she said this remark was testimony to the fact that the deal was linked to conditions, and to a foreign country’s domestic Act, namely The Hyde Act. “In spite of it, this minority government is pushing this country on this disastrous path. Therefore, we are mobilising people all over the country for a big common campaign on the issues facing them.”

Everything about the nuclear deal was shrouded in secrecy. “The government has got the majority on the basis of black money, manipulation and bribery. We are going to see the impact of the nuclear deal in the erosion of India’s foreign policy, on Foreign Direct Investment in the nuclear power sector, and the commercial agenda of educational institutions. This is a struggle, which is going to be fought not in Parliament, but by the people of this country.”

Asked about the Central government’s explanation that the nuclear deal was essential for the energy security of the country, the CPI (M) leader said it was “falsehood” to say that the deal was going to solve the power problem. “Even if you get 40,000 MW from the nuclear plants, it will meet only 6 to 8 per cent of the power needs of the country,” she said, adding the UPA government had not revealed the actual facts about the cost of setting up nuclear plants. The government would become bankrupt by importing expensive reactors, she said.

In this connection, Ms. Karat faulted the government for not establishing relationships with countries such as Iran, which would help strengthen energy security, and especially for not getting the Iranian gas pipeline project through. This, she alleged, was because of U.S. pressure. The Hyde Act had conditions, which militated against India’s friendship with Iran, she said.

Ms. Karat said the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project, which was necessary for the development of Tamil Nadu, was being shelved. She alleged that the Congress-led government deliberately sought time repeatedly in the Supreme Court in the case concerning the project, in order to delay the matter.

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

National