The CPI (M) on friDay launched a fresh attack against the Indo-US joint naval exercise starting September 4.
The CPI (M) said that the Indian armed forces’ increasing involvement with the US forces would push the country to become US’s ‘subordinate military ally’.
In an article in
People’s Democracy, party general secretary Prakash Karat said: “The nuclear deal, the military agreement and the economic policies designed to advance the interests of US capital are ...harmful for India’s sovereignty, independent foreign policy and the people’s economic interests.’’
Karat further said that it was for the first time that a naval exercise with the US, and also Australia, Japan and Singapore, was being held off the east coast.
“Till now, in the Malabar series of exercises, there have been naval exercises with the US navy mainly on the west coast. Now, these exercises have been extended to cover two close military allies of the US – Japan and Australia – who are part of the trilateral security cooperation in the Pacific region. These are the first steps for a quadrilateral tie-up, which the US wants,’’ Karat wrote.
Citing the Defence Framework Agreement between the two countries, Karat said Indian ports and airports can be used by US warships and planes when they are deployed for offensive operations such as the attack on Iraq in 2003.
Karat and CPI’s AB Bardhan will respectively lead two jathas (marches) from Chennai and Kolkata to Visakhapatnam on September 8 to protest against the naval exercise.