Say no to the Indo US strategic alliance!

Hectic efforts are going on to ensure that the Indo-US strategic alliance is firmed up.

In this direction, the “operationalisation” of the 123 nuclear agreement between India and the US is being considered as a major step. This “operationalisation” requires India to sign an agreement with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) as well as the NSG (Nuclear fuel Suppliers Group of countries), and finally the ratification of the US Congress.

At this time, this process of “operationalisation” is temporarily stalled. There is widespread opposition amongst the people to the strategic alliance with the US. There is great concern about the Indo-US nuclear deal from many angles. One of these concerns is that India’s nuclear weapons capability may be compromised. Another is that the various options for energy security that India is at present pursuing with other countries, including with Iran, Russia and some others, may have to be given up to satisfy American strategic interests. There is also great concern that India will be drawn into the US game plan targeted against the countries of West Asia, China and Russia.

To shore up the strategic alliance and to drum up support for the nuclear deal, literally hundreds of US officials and business magnates are currently visiting India! They are busy lobbying with the Indian big business houses and with the major political parties (See box).

Meanwhile, US Under Secretary of state for Political Affairs, Nicholas Burns has stepped up his campaign for the nuclear agreement. Burns, the top US points man for the deal, is trying to convince the American Congress that the deal as well as alliance with India is in US interests. To put pressure on Indian political leaders, Burns has warned that India has only till December 2007 to begin to operationalise the deal (as next year there will be elections in the US and it is alleged that it will be difficult for Bush to pass the deal through Congress in an election year!)

US imperialism needs a strategic alliance with India. India has a fast growing economy, massive in size. A strategic partnership with India will allow US companies to invest in long term, high end investments in infrastructure, military, space, nuclear energy, and other fields. India will be a useful strategic ally in combating the rise of China. And an alliance with India will end the present isolation of US in Asia, as a result of its invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan and its “war against terror”.

India does not need a strategic alliance with the US. Such an alliance with one of the most bloodthirsty, warmongering imperialist powers known to mankind, will be against the Indian people and the world’s peoples. The experience of Pakistan, which has had a strategic alliance with the US for so long, shows how this strategic alliance has harmed the people of Pakistan, as well as other peoples.

The UPA government is having a special session of parliament beginning November 15, to discuss the nuclear deal. This session is being organized after the government has categorically declared that the executive has every right to go ahead with the Indo US treaty and there is no need to get parliamentary sanction. Neither the Opposition BJP, nor the CPM is challenging this assertion of the UPA government.

It is clear that the discussion in parliament is aimed at creating an impression that parliament is being “consulted”. Parliament will be a talk shop as always. Within this situation, there will be grandstanding by the different parliamentary parties.

Narrow concerns are dictating the positions of different political parties in parliament. For instance, at this time many of the UPA partners are mainly concerned with not having mid term elections, as they fear that they will lose the perks of office as well as their seats. Important sections of the BJP support the strategic alliance with the US, just as the top leadership of the Congress does. At the same time, these ruling class politicians are careful that they should not appear as selling out India’s interests to the US.

India’s rulers know too well that they do not have the people on their side. Faced with opposition to the manner in which the deal is being pushed through, the UPA government is trying to organise the debate in such a manner that there is no voting in parliament on the deal and there is no discussion on the nature of the strategic alliance between US and India.

Our Party, and progressive forces, have repeatedly raised the demand that international treaties should be thoroughly discussed amongst the people and voted upon in a referendum organized for the purpose. They are too important to be left in the hands of parliament alone, let alone in the hand of the executive. The bourgeoisie want decision making power to remain in the hands of a small executive, with parliament a talkshop to fool the people. All the parliamentary parties of the bourgeoisie support this. Communists must oppose and expose this.

To conclude, the working class and people must step up the struggle against the Indo US strategic alliance. The Indo US strategic alliance is an anti national alliance and the nuclear treaty is part of this alliance. The US imperialists are doing vigorous lobbying amongst India’s ruling class because they know that the majority of Indian people are opposed to this alliance. The treacherous political parties of the ruling class are playing opportunist games. We must mobilise the working class and people around the demand for a constitutional amendment that will ensure that all international treaties require ratification by a referendum by the people, as well as parliamentary approval.