India not 'client state' of US: CPI

Sharply reacting to statements by American officials on Iran-India relations, the CPI on Thursday asked the government to make it clear to the US that India is not its "client state"

CPI on Thursday asked the government to make it clear to the US that India is not its "client state" and demanded expeditious clearance to the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project. Taking exception to remarks made by some American officials, party leader C K Chandrappan said, "India is not a client state of the US and this should be made clear to Washington by the UPA government."

Asserting that the gas pipeline should not be delayed any further, CPI leader D Raja said that the government should "take up the dialogue to a higher level and clinch the agreement" during the upcoming visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadnejad.

The CPI(M) had on Wednesday demanded that the US envoy in India be summoned by government to express "disapproval" of the "gross interference" by Washington in its relations with other countries.

Welcoming the government's stand in this regard, Raja said, "Government should have pursued this line from the beginning to resist US pressures." Referring to US Presidential poll campaign in which some candidates reportedly stated that Iran would be "wiped out", CPI MP Sudhakar Reddy said that if an Iranian candidate had made such a remark about the US, then he would have been branded "terrorist number one."

About the UPA-Left meeting on the Indo-US nuclear deal to be held on May 6, Raja said that they would be briefed on the negotiations at the IAEA on India-specific safeguards agreement.

"We will respond only after we know what has been done. We can't say whether it is in our interest or not till we know what has transpired," Raja said. (PTI)

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