Buddha takes Karat line on Indo-US nuclear deal

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Kolkata, Jul 17: Chief minister of West Bengal Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Thursday defended CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat’s decision to withdraw support to the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre to protest the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal.

Participating in an unofficial resolution moved by a CPI(M) member in the Legislative Assembly against the deal, Bhattacharjee said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is pretending to be a saint today by opposing the deal, after having initiated the talks with the US for a new strategic alliance when it was in power leading the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

‘‘It is our misfortune that the Congress followed the BJP line and pursued the deal,’’ the West Bengal CM told members, referring to the civilian nuclear deal.

The opposition Congress and the Trinamool Congress walked out as the resolution was tabled. ‘‘When we saw the NDA prime minister and the foreign minister visiting the Pentagon, we realised something dangerous was happening,’’ Bhattacharjee said.

He said that, from 2005, after the Congress-led UPA government took office, the CPI(M) began to realise that the government would bow to US hegemony.

‘‘Today, our fears have come true,’’ Bhattacharjee said.

Buddhadeb said the government is now rushing to sign the deal, but last year, after the first protests by the Left, a UPA-Left coordination committee had been formed.

‘‘It was decided that the government would not go to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA ) without the clearance of the panel,’’ he said.

‘‘We had told the government to show us the text of the draft that it was taking to the IAEA, but they said it is a classified document. The next day it could be seen on websites,’’ he said.

Bhattacharjee said the Left’s understanding of the deal is that India will not get an assured supply of nuclear fuel and technology but will have to depend on the whims of the US.

‘‘They will monitor our work at the (nuclear) plants,’’ he said. ‘‘If they wish, they may even take away a reactor.’’ Then, he said, there is the Hyde Act, referring to the domestic US law.

‘‘The US Senate will report on whether we are doing the right things or not,’’ he said.

He said he had spoken to the Prime Minister as well as the foreign minister and asked them why the deal was being signed, but had not got a convincing reply.