'Left not opposed to nuclear energy but surrendering to US'

Panaji, Jan 13 (UNI) Veteran CPI leader A B Bardhan today stressed that the Left was not against India enhancing its nuclear power but surrendering its sovereignity and dignity to the US for increasing its nuclear energy production capacity merely from current three to four per cent in the next ten years.

Addressing the XIV Goa CPI conference here, Mr Bardhan said: ''Left is not against India having nuclear energy for civilian use, but against spending billions of dollars in the name of nuclear deal with the US for importing reactors and uranium only to enhance mere four per cent of its production capabilities.'' Mr Bardhan said the Left was also against certain India specific clauses in the IAEA Safeguards that were tantamount to surrendering India's sovereignty and dignity to the US.

Instead, India should invest in exploiting the abundant alternative energy resources like the wind, waves and solar energy to enhance its power generation capacities to meet the growing demands, besides enhancing its own indigenous nuclear programmes.

''At any cost, we should not surrender our sovereignty, to attain which we fought foreign forces,'' Mr Bardhan added.

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