Govt toed US line on TAP: Yechury

New Delhi, May 19 (UNI) Expressing dismay over the Manmohan Singh government's nod for India to join the Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan(TAP) natural gas pipeline, the CPI(M) today said this had been done under US pressure.

The Union Cabinet, in its meeting late night, also reportedly authorised the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry to hold discussion with all parties concerned and finalise the amendments to the inter-governmental agreement and framework agreement for the pipeline, the CPI(M) stalwart and Rajya Sabha MP told newspersons here.

Referring to the letter written by the Foreign Secretary to the Petroleum Ministry, Mr Yechury quoted him having said, '' It will be in line with the latest US strategic thinking for the region.'' Mr Yechury said the government chose to go in for this gas pipeline because it had to abandon the proposed Iran-Pakistan- India gas pipeline because the US wanted so.

''Every one knows that following the impasse with Iran over the nuclear issue, the US wanted both Pakistan and India not to enter into an agreement with Iran,'' he added.

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