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Clear stand on Iran nuke, Left tells UPA
by K.S.Ashik

     Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) General Secretary Prakash Karat has said that the Government should make its stand on the Iran nuclear issue clear before the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meets in Geneva on November 24. "India voted against Iran on 24th September for no reason except that the U.S. pressurised us. If the Indian government takes a stand against Iran at the next IAEA meeting, the Left will raise the matter in Parliament," Karat told reporters here. The Left parties, Janata Dal-S and Samajwadi Party had collectively decided to raise the issue in Parliament. "We will decide later in what form the matter is to be raised. But I still hope that the UPA government will see reason," he said. Karat, who is here to campaign for the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha by-poll, said the UPA government was a "necessary experiment." He refused to accept the view that the experiment was a failure and the coalition could arrive at an understanding on many schemes like the rural employment guarantee scheme. Karat said the Left parties were not opposed to FDI as such but would not allow foreign investment in the retail sector which would "kill thousands of jobs." The four crore people employed in the retail sector would be rendered jobless if FDI was allowed in the sector, he said.

     Karat said Left parties were playing an important role in shaping the direction of UPA government's policies. Left MPs were striving to protect the economic sovereignty of the country and the interests of farmers and student community. If issues like WTO regulations affecting farmers and the independent foreign policy of the country had to be dealt with properly, the Left's representation in Parliament had to be strengthened, he said. The CPI-M leader said while welcoming investment, the Left did not want 'Enron-model' investment which resulted in the country losing millions of dollars. "We are trying to make UPA adhere to a path of development and growth different from what the BJP-led NDA government did during their tenure," Karat said. The presence of Left MPs was a guarantee that the UPA government would pursue an independent foreign policy and protect India's economic sovereignty, he said.