Why haven't you gone to Tehran, Left to ask govt
The centre’s approach to Iran has again drawn the ‘India is bowing to American pressure’ accusation from the Left.
By TNN |
NEW DELHI: The centre’s approach to Iran has again drawn the ‘India is bowing to American pressure’ accusation from the Left. New Delhi’s decision to skip the proposed trilateral talks in Tehran to finalise the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project is likely to be on the Left’s menu when it breaks bread with the government leadership on Thursday night.
Left leaders, who will be meeting UPA leaders at a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after a long lull in co-ordination between the two sides over policy matters other than Indo-US nuclear deal, want to express disapproval of India’s keeping away from trilateral meetings on the project.
The Left is also peeved over India allowing an Israeli spy satellite, which would monitor activities in Iran, to be launched from India. In the light of these developments, the Left suspects that India’s attitude towards Iran is being dictated by the US. The US has been asking India not to go ahead with the multi-million dollar pipeline project with Iran apparently, in the fear that this would help Iran in its nuclear proliferation plans.
The Left has refused to buy the argument that India was not attending the three-nation talks in Tehran owing to instability in Pakistan. “This is the third meeting that India is not attending. It clearly shows American pressure is acting on the government. We do not approve of this step,” a senior CPM leader said.
Iran is not the only issue which is making the Left unhappy with the government. Though finance minister P Chidambaram seemed to have done away with the ritualistic pre-budget meetings with the comrades since last year, the Left is expected to make its familiar ‘tax the rich’ noises.
Trying to drive home the point that the Congress was getting ‘isolated’ because of its economic policies, the Left is likely to ask the government to review ‘huge concessions’ given to corporate houses and focus on ‘pro-poor measures’.
While it seeks populist steps in the forthcoming budget, the Left also wants the government to reach out to Muslims by implementing recommendations of the Sachar Committee.
The Left is also peeved with the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra and is of the view that the Vilasrao Deshmukh government is not taking a firm stand on the issue of attack on minorities. The Left suspects that this could be because the NCP is getting close to the Shiv Sena.
Left leaders, who will be meeting UPA leaders at a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after a long lull in co-ordination between the two sides over policy matters other than Indo-US nuclear deal, want to express disapproval of India’s keeping away from trilateral meetings on the project.
The Left is also peeved over India allowing an Israeli spy satellite, which would monitor activities in Iran, to be launched from India. In the light of these developments, the Left suspects that India’s attitude towards Iran is being dictated by the US. The US has been asking India not to go ahead with the multi-million dollar pipeline project with Iran apparently, in the fear that this would help Iran in its nuclear proliferation plans.
The Left has refused to buy the argument that India was not attending the three-nation talks in Tehran owing to instability in Pakistan. “This is the third meeting that India is not attending. It clearly shows American pressure is acting on the government. We do not approve of this step,” a senior CPM leader said.
Iran is not the only issue which is making the Left unhappy with the government. Though finance minister P Chidambaram seemed to have done away with the ritualistic pre-budget meetings with the comrades since last year, the Left is expected to make its familiar ‘tax the rich’ noises.
Trying to drive home the point that the Congress was getting ‘isolated’ because of its economic policies, the Left is likely to ask the government to review ‘huge concessions’ given to corporate houses and focus on ‘pro-poor measures’.
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While it seeks populist steps in the forthcoming budget, the Left also wants the government to reach out to Muslims by implementing recommendations of the Sachar Committee.
The Left is also peeved with the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra and is of the view that the Vilasrao Deshmukh government is not taking a firm stand on the issue of attack on minorities. The Left suspects that this could be because the NCP is getting close to the Shiv Sena.
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