People's Democracy

Anti-Nuclear Deal Agitation In Punjab

Thousands of industrial workers, brick kiln workers, FCI, forest, transport and NREGA workers, medical representatives and anganwadi workers and helpers organised protest rallies and demonstrations in Punjab and Chandigarh protesting against Indo-US nuclear deal on September 19 at the call of all India CITU.

Protest rallies were organised at Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Sangrur, Raikot, Hoshiarpur, Saila Khurad, Patiala, Rajpura, Amritsar, Pathankot, Mukatsar, Asron, Ropar, Nangal, Bathinda and Fatehgarh Sahib. Raghunath Singh, all India vice-president, Dev Raj Verma, secretary and other leaders of state CITU addressed the rallies at various places.

Rakesh Kumar, convenor co-ordination committee Chandigarh UT and MC employees said that 123 Indo-US agreement constitutes the pivot in India’s strategic alliance with the US imperialism, the enemy of world peace and of the mankind as a whole. It signifies paradigm shift in India’s independent and non-aligned foreign policy which has been in force for the last sixty years.

The speakers further said that it is in the interest of a small minority of the Indian elite to make India a close ally of US imperialism and the interest of the vast majority would be harmed by such a strategic alliance. The speakers also highlighted the fact that the UPA government does not enjoy majority in the parliament and is trying to push the deal in an undemocratic manner and further added that the UPA government would have to face serious political consequences if it did not stop operationalisation of the anti India nuclear deal.

Questioning the credentials of the BJP against this nuclear deal, the speakers recalled that to appease the US imperialism, the Vajpayee government was ready to sign even the CTBT which India had always refused to sign.

Rejecting the arguments of the pro Indo-US nuclear deal that the deal would fulfil our energy needs, the speakers said the estimates made by the scientists revealed that the cost of per megawatt of electricity from imported reactor would be around Rs.11 crore which is far higher than the cost of the electricity generated in the country today through thermal plants and dams. Total cost of 30,000 MW electricity which would be generated through imported reactor would cost the country Rs 3,30,000 crores and the some 30,000 MW produced through coal would cost us Rs.1,20,000 crore. By using gas or water (hydroelectricity), this would cost us only Rs 90,000 crore. Has the difference of the cost of Rs.2,00,000 crores no meaning for the leaders of the UPA government and pro-US elements questioned the CITU leaders. They warned the UPA government that it would have to face serious political consequences if it did not stop operationalisation of the nuclear deal and said the people of our country will not accept any such deal.

A joint state level convention was also organised in Jalandhar on September 4, 2007 by the Punjab units of CPI, CPI(M), Forward Block and RSP urging upon the UPA government to stop the operationalisation of Indo-US nuclear deal. In a unanimously adopted resolution the convention exhorted upon all the patriotic people to oppose this nuclear deal.

More than 2000 delegates from all over the state participated in the convention. A demonstration led by the four parties was also held from Desh Bhagat Memorial Building to company Bagh.