Left Rejects Ex-Diplomat's Claim That China Influenced Nuclear Deal Stand

In his book, former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said China used "close connections" with Left parties to build opposition to Indo-US nuclear deal.

The CPI(M) and the CPI today said former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale's claim that the Left parties were influenced by China in their decision to oppose the Indo-US nuclear deal was "baseless" and amounted to "slander". In his book ''The Long Game: How the Chinese Negotiate with India'', Mr Gokhale has said that China used its "close connections" with the Left parties in India to "build domestic opposition" to the Indo-US nuclear deal. He also said top leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) would travel to China for meetings or medical treatment, suggesting that discussions on the deal were held during such trips. Asked about the claim, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said "extraterritorial loyalties" of the Left are a well-known fact. Rejecting Mr Gokhale's claim, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury told PTI, "The Left parties had opposed the Indo-US nuclear deal because it was an agreement which would have compromised India's strategic autonomy and independent foreign policy. It was a deal initiated by the United States to get India aboard a military and strategic alliance. It had no real value for India's energy security. More than a decade later, events have confirmed this."