“Day-to-day developments reconfirm our fears that the US wants to convert India into its subordinate ally in South Asia, even before the Indo-US nuclear deal has come into effect. This is a very ominous development,” politburo member Sitaram Yechury told reporters here.

The party politburo started its two-day meeting here on Monday to discuss these political developments and also to firm up the agenda of the party meet slated to commence from March 29.

The CPM leader said the 123 agreement, which was “firmly anchored in the Hyde Act”, has fallen short “not just of our objections but of the assurances of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself”.

Larger agenda
Maintaining that American “pressure” was working not just on the government to “shift” its foreign policy but on Indian companies as well, Yechury said the deal was “lot more than only nuclear cooperation, it has a larger agenda to convert India as a subordinate ally of the US in South Asia.”

In this context, he referred to India’s non-participation in a scheduled meeting with Iran and Pakistan on the gas pipeline and said “not going for the project or delaying it is not in India’s interest. It is clearly succumbing to US pressures.”

Yechury said the State Bank of India had “suddenly prohibited” extending their line of credit to Iranian firms and stopping Indian exports to that country.

Plans
He also referred to the plans of the Essar Group to have a joint venture oil refinery in Iran which was shelved after its partner firm in the US was “arm-twisted” into asking the parent company to pull off the Iran deal. He expressed hope that government would answer in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday these “serious” questions which came in the aftermath of India voting against Iran at the IAEA on the nuclear issue.