National

U.S. deadline an insult, says CPI(M)

NEW DELHI: Rebuffing U.S. insistence on India moving fast on the nuclear deal, the CPI(M) on Thursday said setting of such deadlines was an “insult” to Indian democracy.

“The democratic processes of any country cannot be influenced by external pressures and by the needs of another country,” CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury wrote in an editorial in the coming issue of People’s Democracy.

“The setting up of such deadlines is in itself an insult to Indian democracy,” he said.

Mr. Yechury’s remarks were in response to Tuesday’s statement by U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns in New York that India needed to move fast on the deal and hoped it would take a “positive decision.”

Mr. Burns said India had to move fast because the Bush administration would like to send the final legislation sealing the deal to Congress by the year-end.

He had also said that it was not a good idea to send a major legislation to Congress in spring or summer of an election year.

The deal, he said, was reached after tough negotiations and had bipartisan support in Congress. — PTI

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