[Marxistindia] highlights of the folder on foreign policy

[news from the cpi(m)]

                                                          March 29, 2009



                      HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FOLDER ON

                  FOREIGN POLICY AND SECURITY ISSUES: 

                MAKING INDIA A JUNIOR PARTNER OF THE US



     1. The NCMP had stated, “The UPA government will pursue an
        independent foreign policy keeping in mind its past traditions.
        This policy will seek to promote multi-polarity in world
        relations and oppose all attempts at unilateralism…Even as it
        pursues closer engagement and relations with the USA, the UPA
        government will maintain the independence of India’s foreign
        policy position on all regional and global issues.” 
        
     2. The Congress-led Government betrayed this and India is now
        increasingly becoming a junior partner to the US. The growing
        ties with Israel show how far India has moved from its support
        to the Palestinian people against the brutal occupation by
        Israel. Notably, this vision of allying India with the US and
        Israel is a part of the Jana Sangh/RSS strategic thinking. 
        
     3. The Manmohan Singh-Bush Agreement in July 2005 was not just
        another energy deal as the Congress-led government claimed. It
        was the centrepiece of the strategy to draw India into the US
        camp. It was followed immediately by India’s two votes against
        Iran in the IAEA, making India party to an anti-Iran gang-up.
        The Congress-led government was willing to give up cheap gas
        from Iran for the benefit of much more expensive nuclear power
        from US-made nuclear reactors. 
        
     4. The Hyde Act, which was the basis of India-US Nuclear Deal made
        clear that India’s foreign policy must henceforth be “congruent”
        to that of the US. It also imposed the condition that India must
        align with the US on Iran’s nuclear programme. India’s record on
        both these counts show the impact of the Hyde Act and the
        Nuclear Deal on Indian foreign policy. 
        
     5. The public justification given for the deal was that it was
        necessary to address India’s need for energy. It is clear that
        nuclear energy is not going to meet more than 5-6% of India’s
        energy needs. This is also what the Planning Commission has
        projected in its Integrated Energy Plan. The CAG report has made
        clear that the shortage of uranium – cited as a justification
        for the deal – was entirely created by the government and not
        due to a lack of uranium reserves in the country. 
        
                        
     6. The CPI(M) and the Left not only brought out the complete
        one-sided agreement that India was entering into with the US, it
        also pointed out that the cost of power from imported nuclear
        plants would be 3-4 times that from coal fired plants, or even
        Indian nuclear plants. There is no fuel supply guarantee, the
        agreement can be terminated at will by the US, thus holding
        India to ransom, and imposes stringent terms on nuclear supplies
        made to India. It also does not lift the sanctions on the high
        technology sector in India.
        
        end
        
        the full text of the booklet is available at:
        
        http://vote.cpim.org/sites/default/files/Foreign Policy.pdf