CPI(M) asks all parties to oppose new amendments to nuclear liability bill

Stepping up its offensive, the CPI-M today accused the government of bringing in changes to the Nuclear Liability Bill at the behest of the US and wanting to see its passage in Parliament before president Barack Obama's visit to India in November."Most of the energies of this government is to somehow see that this bill is passed before president Obama comes to India in November. That itself is a telling commentary on what are the priorities concerned," CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters in Srinagar.He said the bill was brought "at the behest of the US". The US wants to sell nuclear reactors to India and if there is a nuclear accident, the foreign companies should have no liability, he said."That is the purpose of this bill. It's a shameful thing that you need a bill like this," he said. 

Berating the new changes in the Bill, CPI(M) politburo member and Rajya Sabha MP Brinda Karat said government has gone against the recommendations of the Parliamentary standingcommittee that went into the provisions of the draft legislation for a third time."Definitely, it is not in national interest... the latest amendment goes against the recommendations of the standing committee of Parliament," she said adding it was aimed at protecting foreign suppliers."As far as national interest is concerned, we certainly request and think all parties should move against the amendments," she said.One of the 18 amendments cleared by the Union cabinet suggests that an accident in a nuclear plant should have occurred as a consequence of an act done with an "intent" ifan operator has to claim damages from the supplier.The Left parties had yesterday slammed the new amendments and said it would make it impossible to ascribe liability to suppliers of equipment to new atomic power plants."The formulation of 17 (b) proposed in the amendment is in fact worse than the provision contained in the original bill," they said.