Ahead of the nuclear debate in Rajya Sabha scheduled on Tuesday, the CPI(M) used the Iran card to sharpen its points against the nuclear deal and the UPA government?s foreign policy.
The party said on Monday that the US is ?arm twisting? Indian companies and not allowing them to invest in Iran.
Citing the recent example of Essar group, which dropped its plan to start an oil refinery in Iran, the CPI(M) said that the US administration had pressurised the Indian company, which runs some joint ventures in the US. The party also criticised the Sate Bank of India for ?suddenly stopping? providing letters of credit to the industries, which import materials from Iran.
?This is a serious development. We will raise these issues during Tuesday?s debate,? CPI(M) leader in Rajya Sabha Sitaram Yechury said. ?India has to comply with any sanction imposed by the United Nations. But there is no legal requirement for it to comply with unilateral US sanctions on Iran,? he said.
Reiterating that the UPA government is giving a ?pro-US tilt? to the country?s foreign policy, Yechury also referred to the progress of India-Pakistan-Iran pipeline. ?We did not participate in a tripartite discussion scheduled with Iran and Pakistan on the gas pipeline. Not going for the project or delaying it is not in India?s interest…? Yechury added.
Connecting the pipeline with country?s energy needs and the nuclear deal, Yechury said that the government is not serious the issue of energy security. ?They said the deal is for energy security. Then why this delay in constructing the pipeline, which can address the problem to great extent,? he said.
Reiterating that the CPI(M) has not changed its stand on the issue, he said that he would seek clarifications from the Prime Minister on the 12-point assurances on the deal. ?The Hyde Act violates three of the assurances given by the Prime Minister to Parliament,? he said.