It's a fight against strategic alliance, says Left on N-deal

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 2 (UNI) Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat today said his party's opposition to the Indo-US Nuclear Agreement should be seen in the larger perspective of fight against a strategic alliance between the countries.

Inaugurating a national seminar on Indo-US Nuclear Deal here, he said it would lead to a strategic alliance between India and the US and even influence the economy.

The 'America-dictated' policies in agriculture and other sectors would have a direct impact on the working class, he claimed adding only the Left parties had taken up a serious fight against the Indo-US Defence Collaboration.

India had signed agreements with the US for maritime cooperation among others. ''Step by step, what we are going to become is a military ally of the US,'' he added.

He said the Left would organise a strong protest across the West Coast when US nuclear warships participate in the Malabar exercise.

Mr Karat also dismissed the argument the nuclear deal was a solution to the energy security needs.

''The imported nuclear plants will be very expensive. In fact, it will result in surrendering the country's nuclear independence to the US,'' he added.

The government was trying to undermine the hardwork put in during the past five decades to attain self-reliance in the nuclear sector, he said, adding, the nuclear deal had 'also sealed the fate of the Iran-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline Project.' UNI CR DS RL NS1349