Indo-US Nuclear Deal

The Left parties had opposed the Indo-US nuclear deal because it was an agreement which would have compromised India’s strategic autonomy and independent foreign policy.  It was a deal initiated by the United Statesto get India aboard on a military and strategic alliance. It had no real value for India’s energy security.

The effort of the Manmohan Singh government to dilute the Civil Liability Nuclear Act to exempt US suppliers of reactors from the liability clause will be an illegal attempt to bypass the law passed by parliament. The opinion given by the Attorney General is an interpretation of the law which does not hold.

The recommendation to enhance the operator’s liability cap from Rs. 500 crore to Rs. 1500 crore is hardly significant, since total liability for each nuclear incident remains capped at 300 million SDRs (Rs. 2122.40 crore or $ 455 million) as per Clause 6 (1). This amount is less than even the Bhopal settlement of $ 470 million, which has been acknowledged as grossly inadequate by the Government itself.

For a nuclear accident, which will involve loss of many more lives and grievous long term health consequences for many more, this is a serious attack on the rights of Indian citizens.The Left parties strongly oppose the introduction of this Bill in Parliament. They appeal to all parties to reject this Bill which is detrimental to the interests of the Indian people.