The Left parties on Tuesday accused the Modi government of setting India on course for a “subordinate” relationship with the U.S. In particular, they have expressed concern over the circumvention of the Civil Nuclear Liability Act by creating a domestically funded insurance pool that effectively transfers the supplier's liability entirely onto India and its taxpayers.
In a statement, the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) described what is being billed as an “agreement” on the nuclear liability issue as a manifestation of the surrender to U.S. interests.
Stating that the Act – passed in 2010 – was meant to protect Indian citizens' right to due compensation and relief in case of a nuclear accident, the CPI(M) noted that the Modi government “in order the meet the persistent U.S. demands to nullify such clauses in the law has chosen to circumvent them''.
Similar concern was articulated by CPI's Rajya Sabha member D. Raja in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Like the CPI(M), Mr. Raja in his letter refers to the dismal experience of victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy and also flags the fact that the Japanese victims of the Fukushima accident have been unable to hold the American company, G.E., to account because of the Japanese liability law which indemnifies the supplier.
“It was to prevent such an eventuality that Clause 17(b) of the Indian law allows the operator a right of recourse against the supplier,'' he added.
In the absence of details on the final contours of the nuclear deal, both the CPI(M) and Mr. Raja have referred to media reports while formulating their respective positions. Mr. Raja has also questioned the opaqueness around the negotiations and the agreements that are said to have been reached.
As for the Joint Strategic Vision on the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean region, the CPI(M) said it aligns India to the U.S. strategic pivot to Asia.
“Modi's Act East policy is now dovetailed to the U.S. strategy to contain China as seen in the references to the South China Sea and the joint statement's reference to the tripartite alliance between the U.S., Japan and India.”
