By IANS,
Bhopal : The International Olympics Committee (IOC) has come under renewed attack from activists here for defending US company Dow Chemicals, a sponsor of the London Olympics.
“IOC and LOCOG have been propagating Dow’s PR. IOC is not the authority that decides whether Dow is liable for Union Carbides liabilities,” Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information and Action told IANS.
“Dow has accepted Union Carbide’s liabilities in Texas, so it cannot have double standards,” she said.
“In 2001 Dow Chemical set aside 2.2 billion for damage caused to workers in Texas who were exposed to Union Carbide’s product called asbestos,” she said.
Despite mounting demands, IOC has refused to dump Dow, saying it is an old relationship and that Dow was not to blame for the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster that left thousands dead.
Disaster survivor and activist Abdul Jabbar told IANS: “When a company buys another company, it takes both assets and liabilities.
“The time has come for the Indian government to boycott Olympics as it is not only a matter of pride for Bhopal but for whole country,” he said.
The activist urged opposition parties to meet President Pratibha Patil to press for an Olympic boycott.