Reject US proposal to dilute nuclear liability law: CPI(M)

New Delhi, Jul 20: The CPI(M) today (Jul 20) asked the government to reject the American proposal to "dilute" the Civil Nuclear Liability Act that provides for suppliers' liability in the event of a nuclear accident.

"The US continues to exercise pressure on the Indian government to dilute the Civil Nuclear Liability law which was adopted by Parliament," the party Politburo said here.

In a statement, it said this demand had become "evident" from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's statement asking India to engage with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to "ensure that the nuclear liability law ''fully conforms'' with the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC)".

Maintaining that CSC "does not provide for suppliers'' liability" in case of a nuclear accident, the party demanded that the UPA government should reject this suggestion.

Observing that the IAEA was "only a depository for the Convention and cannot judge a law passed by Parliament", it accused the government of "vacillating and seeking to accommodate the US concerns which are primarily the interests of its nuclear industry".

It said the Civil Nuclear Liability Act was passed in Parliament "after compelling the government to accept section 17(b) which provides for foreign suppliers liability. This national law should prevail over any international convention".

PTI