Prevent US interference in Tarapur plant: Left

New Delhi, Mar 16: Taking strong exception to the United States (US) opposition to Russia's offer of nuclear fuel for the Tarapur plant, the Left parties today (Mar 16, 2006) warned the United ProgressiveUPA government against American interference in India's internal affairs.

India must be determined and firm to thwart the US move as it is not a US ''client state and market'', top leaders of the CPI(M), CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP said.

Talking to sources, they asked the Manmohan Singh government to also demonstrate its firmness in rallying round the international community, including Russia and China, to ensure that the Iran issue is resolved within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The US has expressed its reservations to the proposed Russian supply of nuclear fuel to India, indicating that any such move should await compliance by India of its obligations under the civilian nuclear energy agreement between the two countries.

State Department spokesman Adam Ereli had yesterday declined to speculate on possible impact of the Russian offer on the Indo-US deal, but had said the US recognised India's pressing need for nuclear fuel and was committed to secure a regular supply of fuel for India through the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said, ''The US' reservations should leave no one in doubt that it wants India to be a client state and a mere market, that is why it is objecting on the offer by Russia to provide much needed nuclear fuel to our Tarapur plant.'' The demand that New Delhi should first meet its obligations is nothing but an attempt to browbeat India, Mr Bardhan said.

CPI(M) senior leader and Polit Bureau member M K Pandhey said the US was out to put pressure on India and interfere in its domestic affairs. ''How can an independent and sovereign country like India allow this to happen?'' Mr Pandhey, a veteran Marxist, while agreeing with the Congress-led government's countering of US objections, however, said, ''The real problem is that the US does not go by rules and laws.

Indeed we have been impressing upon our government that the US will treat India as it treated the other countries.'' He said the UPA government should not forget that the US wanted to extend its policy to India also and use every opportunity to pursue its strategic, trade and economic interests while having any deal with us.

Supporting the government's assertion that the US had to change its laws, CPI National Secretary Shamim Faizi said, ''It is the US which has to change its laws even for to the much-hyped Indo-US nuclear deal, which was signed during Bush visit to India.''

Mr Faizi, editor of the party publication New Age, alleged the US was ''bent on dominating the entire world by hook or crook''. The senior CPI leader also urged the Indian government to undertake all possible initiatives to the thwart the US plea for action against Iran by the UN Security Council. ''It should contact and work in complete cooperation with the other countries of the Security Council including Russia and China.'' Mr Faizi added.

CPI(M) parliamentary group leader in the Rajya Sabha Nilotpal Basu said the Americans were coming out to show their true colours.

''In the first place they violated the commitment of Suppliers' enriched uranium.'' Mr Basu said now that they have agreed to give nuclear fuel to India, they have started voicing reservations about it. ''The US has no business to raise questions about the Russian offer.'' Forward Bloc general secretary Debabrata Biswas said Indians had every right to collect it. ''The US has no right to object to the Russian offer.

India should refrain from being allowed to be dragged in the US gameplan to establish its hegemony in the world.'' He added that Russia, China and India should join hands to protect the world from the impending danger of the US attack on Iran, Cuba, Syria, North Korea and Venezuela.

RSP national secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Abani Roy said this was why the Left parties organised ''Anti-Bush'' demonstrations throughout the country. ''We wanted to educate the people of the country about the real US intentions behind the deal.'' Mr Roy said this was the kind of imperialism the US was pursuing, which, he said, was not acceptable to India.

He also urged the UPA government to play a vital role in ensuring that the Iran issue was resolved within the framework of the IAEA.

UNI