August 19, 2007

Press Statement

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

The BJP President, Shri Rajnath Singh, has charged the Left parties with not being serious about their opposition to the nuclear deal. He has cited the unwillingness of the Left to join hands with the BJP on the issue to substantiate this charge.

The Left parties opposition to the nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States has been clearly spelt out from the outset in 2005. We do not share the views of the BJP on the matter, since their approach has been to bargain with the United States for a favourable nuclear adjustment while accepting the status of a subordinate ally of the US.

The six-year record of the BJP-led government was infamous for its kowtowing to the US. The Jaswant Singh-Strobe Talbot secret talks, the visit of L.K. Advani to the CIA headquarters and the eagerness of the NDA government to become a “natural ally” of the US to the extent of considering sending Indian troops to Iraq, will not be forgotten by the Indian people.

The CPI(M) is certain not to have any truck with such a pro-imperialist party.