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Afghanistan/South Asia
Nationwide strike to target Indian administration
2005-09-29
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.
"Nope, nope, can't have none of that cooperation with the 'mer-cans, nope, nope."
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.
"What's wrong with allowing a bunch of mullahs who hate Hindoos to have the bomb?" he added.
Iranian officials had taken the gaspipe 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're angry but we need dollars." “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.
Posted by:Steve White

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