Press Release: August 16, 2007
Scrap the Indo-US Nuclear Deal!
Oppose UPA’s Traitorous Policy of Mortgaging
Our Country’s Interests to the US Imperialists!
THE so-called Indo-US Civil Nuclear Energy Deal or the 123 Agreement, hailed as a historic pact by the comprador Congress party, is actually a total sell-out of the country’s interests and sovereignty to the US imperialists. The CC, CPI(Maoist), considers this Agreement as anti-national and anti-people and condemns this abject surrender by the comprador Congress-led UPA government to US imperialist pressure. It warns that the Nuclear Deal will lead to perpetual dependence of our country on US imperialism.
The deal is shrouded in utmost secrecy and the entire country is kept in the dark for almost two weeks since its signing by the two sides on July 22. Finally, with the consent of the US, the traitorous UPA regime released the text of the Agreement on 3rd August. Public consent was sought to be manufactured through lies and distorted information by the Prime Minister and other Congress leaders and government officials. Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), canvassed for support even before the text of the Agreement was released. The actual content of the Agreement and the Clauses that compromise India’s sovereignty were hidden behind a barrage of official lies and deliberate distortions. The undemocratic and conspiratorial nature of the Agreement is that it is dictated by Washington and not even placed before the Parliament.
Based on the notorious Henry Hyde Act of the US Congress, the 123 agreement restricts the right to nuclear testing by India. The US President will have discretionary powers to terminate the civil nuclear cooperation if India conducts a nuclear test. The real essence of the 123 agreements can be captured from the remarks made by US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, who negotiated the Agreement on behalf of the US, that the U.S. had “preserved intact” the President’s right under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to ask for return of nuclear fuel or nuclear technologies transferred by American firms if India conducted a nuclear test. He categorically stated that the Agreement was fully in accordance with the Hyde Act. A Clause of the 123 Agreement makes it obligatory for India to facilitate the entry of experts “when execution of an agreement or contract pursuant to this agreement” requires this.
Moreover, the civilian nuclear agreement between India and the U.S would threaten regional stability and widen the gulf between India and Pakistan. By facilitating India to produce significant quantities of fissile material and nuclear weapons with US blessings, the Nuclear Deal will ignite an arms race in South Asia with serious implications for the strategic stability of the region. India would become the regional satrap for American imperialism and will be used by the latter for furthering American hegemony over South Asia. The dalals in Delhi had shamelessly agreed to place the interests of our country and people at the feet of the US imperialists and the US multinational companies in exchange for a few concessions and crumbs. The expansionist Indian ruling classes, with their eyes on the neighbouring countries, have stooped like slaves before the US imperialists in order to play the role of regional chieftains.
It is the US MNCs like GE and Westinghouse which will derive huge profits from the energy contracts and hence these vultures played a key role in pushing the Deal onto India’s back. Thus at one stroke, the American imperialists would curtail India’s sovereignty as well as squeeze it of its wealth. The nuclear deal makes our country fully dependent on the US for nuclear fuel supplies and by giving the U.S. the right to terminate the agreement “on one year’s written notice”; India will be pushed deep into the vice-like grip of the US imperialists. It will have no other alternative than to dance to American imperialist tune and will become a victim of US blackmail. The Agreement is a grave insult to more than a billion people of our country. The entire country should stand up unitedly to boldly oppose this despicable act of the comprador UPA government led by the Congress which mortgages our country’s sovereignty to US imperialism, places the country completely at the mercy and whims of the US, undermines indigenous development, and transforms India into a willing pawn of US imperialism. The so-called Left parties, which have been crying hoarse that the 123 Agreement is a surrender to US by the Manmohan Singh Government, are shamelessly continuing to support the very same government and thus are acting as accomplices. They should immediately withdraw their support to the UPA government or else they will go down in history as no less responsible for this abject surrender of the country’s interests to US imperialism.
Azad,
Spokesperson,
Central Committee,
CPI(Maoist)
[From People’s March, Vol. 8, No. 10, October 2007.]