Before PM’s trip, Left goes ballistic on US ties

Less than 10 days before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves for the United States, Left leaders today said they would fiercely oppose the ...

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Less than 10 days before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves for the United States, Left leaders today said they would fiercely oppose the Indo-US Framework Agreement.

At the Constitution Club this evening, Left leaders including CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and CPI general secretary A B Bardhan claimed the UPA government was following a path that would make India ‘‘subservient to US strategic interests’’ and make the country part of the larger defence grid which the Americans were contemplating.

Karat, who traced the history of the evolving Indo-US relationship, pointed how the shift has begun happening in the 90s and how the dynamics changed considerably during the Vajpayee era with the BJP government describing the United States as a natural ally.

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The CPI(M) general secretary was quite critical of the way Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s visit was described as ‘‘exploratory’’ and how it resulted in such an agreement. He wondered what would happen if the visit was a ‘‘substantive one’’.

Karat voiced his dislike for what he called was the recent tendency to make a holy cow of strategic and security issues. He implied that no criticism in this respect was taken in a spirit of democracy. He felt on issues concerning foreign policy it would always be beneficial to have a much wider debate.

He reminded the government that it was Leader of Opposition, L K Advani, who had advised the Union Government not to consult the Left on security and foreign policy issues. He said it was the same Advani who had been the first Union Home Minister to visit CIA headquarters at Langley.

In his speech, Bardhan reiterated the points that had been raised by Karat. He agreed that there would be need to enter into discourses with the US. The Left was not suggesting that given the nature of the unipolar world, the US should be ignored. At the same time, discussions with the superpower should not be reduced to a surrender.

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He quoted from the US media to suggest how some sections have taken note of India taking a position quite similar to that of Japan in the context of the US’s long term security perspective for Asia. There was celebration that India had taken the ‘‘bait’’.

The Left said that they would carefully watch the Indian policy in this respect from now on. ‘‘But we shall not resort to a loud countrywide campaign just now,’’ said Bardhan. ‘‘We shall see if the UPA government listens to us,’’ he added.