Govt stand on NKorean nuke test irrational: Left

New Delhi, Oct 12: The Left parties today dubbed the UPA government's stand on the nuclear test by North Korea as as" humbug" and" irrational" and called for a nuclear disarmament agenda.

While the CPI said the government should not use "spurious arguments to deplore the North Korean adventurism," the CPI(M) said India being a nuclear state itself, has no right to condemn other countries for acquiring nuclear weapons, Talking to UNI, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said," The mandarins in our South Block are gloating over the ' certificate' issued by the Tony Blair Government during our Prime Minister' s visit to Britain. They are happy that the stooge of Bush has said that India and North Korea should not be equated. This is humbug." Mr Bardhan, the veteran Communist and freedom fighter, said North Korea was using all the same arguments that India had advanced when the NDA regime went for Pokhran-II.

CPI National Secretary Shamim Faizi said that while sticking to the unilateral moratorium on further tests, the UPA government should take initiative for real nuclear weapon disarmament with the nuclear weapon states which was the only alternative to save the humanity from nuclear holocaust.

Mr Faizi, party Weekly New Age editor said," we are still of the firm opinion that the North Korean action is deplorable. It should not only stop further experiments but must return to the six-party talks to reach a consensus for total denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

Simultaneously, the US must lift all the sanctions imposed on DPRK and create a conducive atmosphere for the resumption of six-party talks," Mr Faizi added.

CPI(M) stalwart and politburo member Sitaram Yechury said after declaring itself a nuclear weapon state, India's stand that other countries should not acquire nuclear weapons did not carry much conviction.

Mr Yechury, the party Parliamentary Group leader, argued that if Israel could stockpile over 200 plus nuclear weapons, how could India argue against Iran exercising its legitimate right to conduct uranium enrichment?

UNI

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