Pak Mullahs do seem to have exact same tactics and same agenda as that of Bharati lefties.
Nationwide strike to target Indian administration
By Jo Johnson in New Delhi
Published: September 28 2005 13:19 | Last updated: September 28 2005 13:19
Tensions between India’s Congress-led government and its communist allies are expected to erupt on to the streets on Thursday during a nationwide strike by more than a million bank and airport workers against the administration’s economic policies.
The four Left parties that provide the government with a majority in parliament Wednesday also stepped up their calls for India to reverse its “shameful” and “pro-US” decision to vote against Iran’s nuclear programme at last weekend’s IAEA meeting.
The United Forum of Bank Unions, which represents nearly 95 per cent of more than 1.3m financial workers, and the Airports Authority of India Employees Union have called the strike, the first on this scale since the government came to power in May 2004.
Banking unions are protesting against finance minister P. Chidambaram’s call for consolidation among weaker public sector banks, while aviation sector employees are opposed to the private operators taking over Delhi and Mumbai airports.
The protests reflect the severe constraints facing economic reformers within the government, which has started to come under attack from business leaders concerned at the apparent policy-making paralysis in New Delhi.
“We are not convinced by the explanation [of the Iran vote] given by the government and our differences remain. India should have abstained,” Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury said after meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Iranian officials had reacted strongly to India’s decision to line up with the European Union and US, which drew up the resolution saying Iran’s nuclear activities may cover a weapons programme and require referral to the UN Security Council.
Javad Vaeedi, deputy for international affairs of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Tehran would review its relations with New Delhi. Ali Larijani, head of the SNSC, earlier linked energy supply to countries stance on the nuclear issue.
However, after talks between Shyam Saran, Indian foreign secretary, and Iran’s ambassador to India, the foreign ministry yesterday denied there was any threat to a $22bn gas purchase agreed in June or to a $4bn-$5bn pipeline to India via Pakistan.
It said in a statement: “We have seen remarks made by the Iranian spokesman concerning economic co-operation with countries that had voted in favour of the resolution on the Iranian nuclear programme at the IAEA.”
It added: “We have been given no indication in these interactions of Iran’s intentions to review its long-standing and extensive co-operation with India which is of benefit to and in the interest of both countries.”
India reiterated yesterday that it was not in favour of the Iran nuclear issue being referred to the UN Security Council and that it had persuaded the EU-3 to agree to a resolution providing more time for it to be resolved within the IAEA itself.
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