Earth Equity News

India's Left Launch Nuclear Protest. BBC, July 14, 2008. "Left-wing parties in India have launched a national campaign against a controversial India-U.S. nuclear deal. The communists stopped supporting the government last week in protest at its decision to push ahead with the deal to meet India's soaring energy needs. The governing coalition, which has now been reduced to a minority, will seek a vote of confidence on July 22... Under the accord, India would gain access to U.S. civilian nuclear technology and fuel in return for opening civilian nuclear facilities to inspection. Nuclear weapons sites would remain off-limits. The communists fear the accord could give the U.S. too much influence over Indian foreign and nuclear policy... Senior left leader A.B. Bardhan said meetings would be organised in towns and villages across the country as part of their campaign against the deal... A two-day special session of the lower house of Indian parliament... will be convened on July 21, with the confidence vote scheduled for the following day... A defeat for the government in the 543-member lower house would trigger an early election, and almost certainly mean the end of the nuclear pact with the US. India is under pressure from Washington to sign the accord before the U.S. presidential elections... Critics of the deal fear assistance to India's civil programme could free-up additional radioactive material for bomb-making purposes."