People's Democracy

INDO-US NUCLEAR DEAL

Not In National Interest

PB Resolution

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) fully endorsed the stand taken by the Left parties on the bilateral agreement on nuclear cooperation with the United States. The statement of the Left parties has set out comprehensively the reasons why the agreement is not acceptable.

After the two day deliberations on August 17 and 18, the Polit Bureau in an unanimous resolution stressed that the agreement should be seen in the light of the Hyde Act passed by the US Congress and in the context of the wider implications of India being bound into a strategic alliance with the United States and its adverse consequences for an independent foreign policy, sovereignty and the economic interests of the people. "The Polit Bureau is of the firm opinion that going ahead with this agreement will not serve India’s interests.", the resolution noted.

Speaking to the press on August 18 the CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat strongly emphasised that the nuclear agreement should not be seen as a narrow party issue since the whole nation is involved in it; and suggested the government should not take the next step.

Prakash Karat specifically stressed that the Left Parties who took a firm initiative in the nuclear issue stand firmly united and suggested that the government should not go forward with this. He also mentioned that the UPA knows it very well that the majority in the parliament are not satisfied with this nuclear deal. All the doubts and apprehensions are to be clarified.

After the Polit Bureau meeting, Karat along Sitaram Yechury met the prime minister, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Pranab Mukherjee and handed over a copy of the PB resolution.

Karat in the press briefing underlined that till all aspects of the agreement are considered and the implications of the Hyde act evaluated, the government should not take the next step.

The following is the text of the resolution adopted unanimously by the Polit Bureau after its two-day meeting held in New Delhi on August 17 and 18, 2007.

RESOLUTION

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) fully endorsed the stand taken by the Left parties on the bilateral agreement on nuclear cooperation with the United States. The statement of the Left parties has set out comprehensively the reasons why the agreement is not acceptable.

The agreement should be seen in the light of the Hyde Act passed by the US Congress and in the context of the wider implications of India being bound into a strategic alliance with the United States and its adverse consequences for an independent foreign policy, sovereignty and the economic interests of the people. The Polit Bureau is of the firm opinion that going ahead with this agreement will not serve India’s interests.

Given the widespread opposition to the agreement and the fact that a majority in parliament do not support the nuclear cooperation deal, the government should not proceed further with the agreement.

Till all the objections are considered and the implications of the Hyde Act evaluated, the government should not take the next step with regard to negotiating a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

It is for the Congress leadership to decide on the matter which will have serious consequences for the Government and the country.

The Polit Bureau decided to take the issue of the nuclear agreement and the dangers of the strategic alliance with the United States to the people through a nationwide mass campaign.

The Left parties will be meeting soon to discuss all other related matters. (INN)