Government catered to US interests: CPI-M

NEW DELHI - The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Tuesday accused the Congress-led UPA government of “catering to US business and strategic interests by accepting the self-congratulatory approach that Obama recognizes India as a world power”.

In its official, detailed reaction to the Obama visit, the CPI-M said in a statement: “The outcome of the visit of Obama is to further strengthen India’s strategic alliance with the US.”

It also alleged that that the agenda as reflected in the Indo-US joint statement would be “detrimental to the crores of small and marginal farmers and unorganised retailers in India”.

Criticising the approach of the government during the Obama visit, the CPI-M said : “Instead of emphasizing that Indias priority is for lifting the vast mass of people out of poverty, hunger and disease and in that context framing Indias relations with the US, the Congress-led government has catered to the US business and strategic interests.”

“The joint statement issued after the visit indicates that the main agenda was to prise open the Indian market for the business and commercial interests of the US and its efforts to draw India into a closer security and military relationship,” it added.

The CPI-M said the joint statement reflected the economic agenda of the US.

“In the backdrop of the deep recession and high unemployment afflicting its economy, the US is desperately trying to reduce imports and increase its exports worldwide. The framework for economic cooperation contained in the joint statement reflects this agenda,” the statement said.

The agenda of the joint statement will be “detrimental to the interests of the crores of small and marginal farmers and unorganised retailers in India”, the Left party claimed.

“In the name of promoting food security and raising agricultural productivity, what is being pushed is the agenda of opening up Indian agriculture and retail trade for the profiteering of American MNCs like WalMart and Monsanto,” the statement said.

“The passage of the Seed Bill, which promotes the interests of the multinational seed companies and compromises the seed rights of Indian farmers, is high on the Indian governments agenda. The way is being paved for the opening up of Indias financial and higher education sector for American companies. All this is being pursued at the behest of the US-India CEO Forum,” it alleged.

The joint statement spells out a “close defence and security relationship which will involve also (India) buying US weaponry on a large scale; falling in step with the United States deceptive and self-serving talk of human rights, democracy and on nuclear non-proliferation.”

“All these are a continuation and reiteration of the Manmohan Singh-Bush joint statements of 2005 and 2006″, the CPI-M statement said.