CPI(M) accuses UPA govt of disinformation campaign on N-deal

New Delhi, Jun 21 (UNI) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today accused the UPA government at the Centre of indulging in a disinformation campaign by propagating that the Indo-US nuclear deal is absolutely essential for India's energy security.

The party, in a statement issued here, termed the view of nuclear energy being a solution to the shortage of electricity in the country and the oil price rise 'a misnomer'. This is nothing but a cover to promote strategic ties with the US, as it is difficult to promote them directly, it said.

The CPI(M) said more than 50 per cent of India's oil consumption is in the transport sector and the rest is in petro-chemicals and fertilisers and only a negligible amount is used in power plants.

Nuclear energy has very little to do with oil unless government's experts have found out ways of using nuclear energy in transport and fertiliser sectors, it added.

However, the country's energy requirements could substantially be secured if the IPI pipeline project was commissioned but the UPA government was dragging its feet on that under pressure from the US and in consideration of the Hyde Act, the statement said.

Even if India signs the nuclear deal it would take a minimum of eight years before any electricity is produced from imported reactors under the deal and the cost of electricity generation from such plants will be much more than Rs 5, twice that from coal fired plants at today's rate, it added.

UNI/BKS AM RR KP1530