The CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat in an interview to the Party dailies at the CPI (M) headquarter spoke about the Indo-US bilateral nuclear deal, the Left parties campaign among the people against the deal and related matters.

Below we give excerpts of the interview:

1. How do you see the developments after the UPA has agreed to set up a committee to look into the objections raised by the Left Parties on the nuclear deal?

The decision to form a committee consisting of UPA and Left Parties is a good step because we had demanded that the Government should take into account all the objections raised on the bilateral agreement between the two countries, particularly regarding the implications of the Hyde Act.

How the Hyde Act will affect the security of our country and its effect on our foreign policies, all these aspects are covered by the scope of the committee. The joint statement makes it clear that the government will operationalise the deal after taking into consideration the findings of the committee being set up. Implicit in this is the fact that the Government will proceed only after committee expresses its views.

Earlier, the Government was planning to go to IAEA for the safeguards agreement in the month of September. This committee work will mainly be in Septemeber. So without committee doing its work, the Government will not go ahead.

2. How is the nuclear deal related to a strategic alliance with the United States?

We are not seeing the nuclear agreement separately from the whole set of agreements which have been reached with the US. There is the defense collaboration agreement with American Armed Forces.

Many of the policies which have been now implemented by UPA Government are actually the agenda prepared by the US–India Economic Partnership.

The third is the nuclear agreement. All these three taken together constitute the new type of relationship with the USA. India which has since independence followed non-aligned foreign policy is now getting tied up with the US as a camp follower of it.

That is why our opposition to nuclear agreement should not be seen in isolation but as a part of our overall opposition to the strategic alliance with the USA.

3. Why are the left parties conducting two jathas to Vishakapatanam against the joint naval exercise?

We have always opposed the joint military exercise with the US. Actually this began from the days of Narasimha Rao Government. But it has now grown to become a full-fledged military collaboration. The new thing about the joint naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal from 4th September to 9th September is that America has brought India at its close allies, Japan and Australia, to participate in these exercises in Indian waters.

Here again the US wants India to join as the fourth partner. There is already a trilateral security alliance. Now it wants to change it as quadrilateral alliance. That is why the Left parties have planned to conduct this two jathas from Chennai and Kolkata to Vishakapatnam.

This is part of the over all campaign conducted in the country, in the same period.

4. How is the Party going to take the campaign to the people on these issues?

In the last CC meeting, the CC decided that the whole month of September should be utilized by the Party to take the whole question of the alliance with America and its consequences to the people.

The danger to national sovereignty and independent foreign policy, the economic policies which are being dictated by US will affect the livelihood of the workers, peasants and ordinary people.

Not only American nuclear reactors will be imported, Walmart will come thus ruining the livelihood of lakhs of shop-keepers and small traders. After the joint campaign from 4th to 8th September, the Party will continue to take its whole campaign by holding meetings, rallies and seminars.

A national convention is being organized in Delhi on September 10 in which prominent scientists, jurists, diplomats, intellectuals and people from all walks of life would participate to express their position to the nuclear deal.

The CC has also issued an open letter to all the MPs explaining the reasons for our opposition to the nuclear deal.

5. If the government goes ahead with the operationalisation of the agreement what will the CPI(M) do?

The central committee of the CPI(M) has decided that we cannot allow this agreement to go ahead.

If and when the Government decides to take steps to implement it, the Party will take whatever steps necessary to prevent such an agreement becoming a permanent obstacle to our country’s self-reliance and independence.