By IANS,
New Delhi : The Left parties Thursday termed US President George W. Bush’s assertion that Washington would ensure fuel supply for India’s civil nuclear reactors as just verbal assurances from a man whose days as president were numbered.
“We are not at all enthusiastic about what Bush says. We can’t believe anybody’s words. What is written is important. The things what Bush said have not been mentioned in the document signed by him,” T.J. Chandrachoodan, general secretary of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), told IANS.
While signing the historic law on the India-US civil nuclear deal Wednesday, Bush said:
“By undertaking new cooperation on civil nuclear energy, India will be able to count on reliable fuel supply for its civilian reactors.”
But the Left parties, which had withdrawn support to India’s ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in July as they were against the deal, are not convinced.
M.K. Pandhe, politburo member of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), said the surrendering of India’s strategic interest to the US by the UPA government would be a major campaign issue in the coming general elections.
“The US administration is signing the deal after getting the nod from the US Congress. Ironically, the government of India has not taken our parliament into confidence while engaging in such an important agreement,” Pandhe said.
Forward Bloc national secretary G. Devarajan said Bush’s assurance is a political commitment by an outgoing president. It is not bound by law, he said.
“His days as US president are numbered. So, we should not rely on his words,” Devarajan added.
The Left leaders said they would continue their protest against the deal both inside and outside parliament.
Describing the deal as anti-people and anti-India, they said the Left parties had started mobilising people against the deal.
The Left parties observed a ‘black day’ Oct 4, the day US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived here.