People's Democracy

Don’t Fall Prey To Carrot And Stick Policy

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued the following statement on June 28, 2006.

The CPI(M) has serious reservations and apprehensions on the basis of the media reports on the US and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act of 2006 draft Bill presented before the US House International Relations Committee. A more substantive response will be issued when the full details are known.

Firstly, the Bill says that the presidential waver will “cease to be affective” if India conducts a nuclear test. India’s unilateral moratorium on conducting nuclear tests cannot be subservient to such US conditionalities. India’s sovereignty on these matters cannot be compromised. 

Secondly, the Bill makes a specific reference to securing India’s, “full and active participation” in the US efforts to “dissuade, isolate and if necessary sanction and contain Iran” for seeking nuclear weapons. This clearly substantiates the CPI(M)’s apprehensions that through this nuclear deal, USA will arm twist India to change its foreign policy to know tow to US strategic global designs. 

Thirdly, the Bill seeks to enforce India to comply with the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) which India had in the past refused to sign on the grounds of it being discriminatory. 

Fourthly, the Bill states that the US president must first determine that India and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have “concluded a safeguards agreement requiring the application of IAEA safeguards in perpetuity.” This runs completely contrary to the assurance given by the Prime Minister in both the Houses of Parliament that India will approach the IAEA for safeguards only after the USA endorses the July 18, 2005 nuclear deal. 

The CPI(M) is of the firm opinion that the above apprehensions completely contradict the assurances given by the UPA government to the Parliament and the country that India will not become prey to USA’s “carrot and stick policy”. 

The CPI(M) calls upon the UPA government to uphold India’s sovereignty in all these matters and not deviate from its stated foreign policy commitments and positions under US pressure.