India should not "surrender" its foreign policy to US : D Raja

Guwahati, Sep 5 (UNI) CPI national general secretary D Raja today reiterated that India should not ''surrender'' its foreign policy to the United States to see the nuclear deal through.

He was here to inaugurate the three-day state-level teaching camp of CPI comrades as part of the party's measures to strengthen base here.

The CPI(M) had also recently constituted a 11-member committee, headed by Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, to work for the base expansion in Asom.

Mr Raja, among the two Left representatives in the UPA co-ordination committee, said the country should maintain a liberal and independent foreign policy.

'' We should not let the US dictate to us our relations with other countries for the sake of the nuclear deal with it, '' he added.

On the BJP and Sangh Parivar's allegations of the Left maintaining double standards, Mr Raja said the Left had never shed its secular policies.

He said the Left opposed the UPA governmnet of which it was a part, when its policies were against the interest of the lower strata of the society.

However, being a part of the government enabled them to pursue measures for the welfare of the people with greater vigour, he added.

The Left's rapidly eroding base had become a source of worry with the CPI and CPI(M) having only three MLAs in Asom Assembly. Though the performance had been better than the blank it drew in 2001 elections, the parties were losing cadre base.

UNI SG SJC SBA RS1915