Date:21/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/21/stories/2008072155700500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

People urged to oppose N-deal

Correspondent

VIZIANAGARAM: The CPI and the CPI(M) district committees have called upon people to oppose the nuclear deal with the U.S. even if it is for power generation.

District secretaries M. Krishna Murty (CPI-M) and P. Kameswara Rao (CPI), at a meeting on nuclear deal at Amar Bhavan on Sunday, explained at length about its consequences and why did they withdrew support to the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre.

They felt that the deal was in favour of “the US imperialism” and any attempt to go ahead with it would be a disaster.

Criticising the government for neglecting utilisation of the available natural resources efficiently for power production, Mr. Krishna Murty said that a sum of Rs.3.5 lakh crores was needed for importing atomic reactors and generating power and the unit cost of power so generated would be around Rs.6 against Rs.1.80 for hydel and Rs.2.50 for thermal energy. Mr. Kameswara Rao (CPI) said that he failed to understand why the government was so keen on going ahead with the deal when the inflation rate was touching new heights and the people had been facing hardship. He appealed to people to oppose the deal.