Left demands Mulford's recall

     New Delhi: The Left parties have called for the recall of US ambassador to India, David C Mulford, even as the Opposition BJP asked the Congress led UPA government to call for an all party meeting on Indo-US ties. Taking strong exception to Mulford's statement, senior CPI (M) and CPI leaders said it was "unbecoming" of the Ambassador to comment on domestic affairs of India, including disagreements and controversies. Talking to reporters here, CPI (M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury said that Mulford had made wide-ranging intervention in the internal affairs of India. "To say the least, it is very unfortunate. It confirms our earlier apprehension that he is directly interfering in India's internal affairs." He said that the Left had been asking the Government to take appropriate steps in this regard earlier also and now wanted the Centre to recall him, as it was unbecoming on an Ambassador's part to comment on such matters.

   CPI Secretary D Raja said that Mulford had "crossed all limits by virtually dictating what India should do on a foreign policy issue like Iran and now on its economic policies and what political parties should do or not do". The government, he said should immediately take up the issue with the US authorities at the appropriate level to "either make him mend his ways or seek his recall." Mulford had reportedly said that if India did not vote against Iran in the February 2 IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, the fallout on the July 18, 2005 deal would be "devastating" and the initiative would "die". Later he issued a statement saying he had been quoted out of context. India had taken a strong objection to Mulford's statement.

   The Ministry of External Affairs had said that the vote at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be its own decision and not be affected by the future of its civilian nuclear deal with the US. "We categorically reject any attempt to link this to the proposed Indo-US agreement on civil nuclear energy co-operation, which stands on its own merits. With regard to negotiations on the proposed agreement, India will proceed on the basis of its own national interests, as acknowledged by the US Ambassador himself," the MEA had said in a statement. The Left and Opposition parties had raised objection at Mulford's statement and had raised their ante against any move by New Delhi supporting the EU3 resolution as it did last September, and urged the Centre not to vote against Iran at the upcoming meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog. Iran faces the threat of being referred to the UN Security Council over its controversial nuclear programme by the US and the EU-troika comprising Germany, France and Britain, even as Moscow and Beijing have asked Washington and Brussels to give Tehran a little more time.

   Apart from his statements on the controversial Iran nuclear issue, Mulford had also raised the Left's hackles by questioning their opposition to opening up of retail to FDI. "Are they opposed to farmers and business guys and others getting credit developing their livelihoods and their businesses? I don't understand what their opposition is about because the beneficiaries are the regular working people of India," Mulford had said. The BJP had also too expressed serious concern over Mulford's recent pronouncements on the Iran vote and the Indo-US nuclear deal, and asked the UPA Government to take all political parties into confidence on Indo-US ties by calling an all-party meeting. At a party briefing, party spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said that they expected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take all political parties into confidence and ensure that their strategic security concerns were not subjugated in any manner whatsoever. He said Mulford's interview had raised "disturbing questions and puts into serious doubt" Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assurance to Parliament that New Delhi's commitment would be "conditional upon and reciprocal to the US fulfilling its side of the understanding". Prasad said that the Prime Minster had also emphasized that separation of civilian and military nuclear facilities would be placed under IAEA safeguards by a decision taken voluntarily. The full text of Mulford's statement, "which is not a casual observation at all", however, completely negates this assurance". Prasad said Mulford has clearly said the idea of separating these two establishments, civilian and military, had not so far met the test of credibility and minimum standard required for US Congress to act favourably.

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