11 August 2007

 Press Statement

Prakash Karat, General Secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist), has issued the following statement:

The Left parties have been consistently expressing their opposition to the July 2005 joint statement with the United States, which includes the nuclear cooperation agreement.  After the Hyde Act was adopted by the United States containing unacceptable conditions, the CPI(M) has been  asking the government not to proceed with the negotiations for the bilateral (123) agreement.  We do not share the optimism that India can become “a great power with the help of the United States”.  India is a country endowed with sufficient resources and self-confidence to carve out its own path of development. 

 The Prime Minister and the government must realise that  this agreement is not acceptable  to the majority in Parliament. 

 As far as the approach to the government is concerned, we will take our own counsel.