The call at Chennai port by the USS Nimitz, is likely to trigger another major war of words between the UPA government and its Left allies.
Powerhead allowed by defence ministry to come to Chennai in violation of pact
NEW DELHI: The call at Chennai port by the USS Nimitz, the world's largest nuclear powered aircraft carrier is likely to trigger another major war of words between the UPA government and its Left allies. The opposition BJP is also likely to attack Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government for becoming a US lackey.
The incident is sure to outrage some because of a decision taken many decades ago not to allow any ship carrying nuclear weapons to call at any Indian port.
The exact dates have not been announced, but officials say it will arrive in the first week of July. However, defence ministry sources say that the final go-ahead has not yet been given. Technically, the defence ministry has to give the green signal.
"But why this sudden interest in USS Nimitz, this will not be the first time that a US warship has come to India, it is a routine exercise," a defence ministry official who did not wish to be identified said.
Obviously realising the potential for a controversy, he tried to play down its importance.
At the heart of the controversy is the fact that the USS Nimitz, was part of the US naval presence sent to the Persian Gulf to threaten Iran, much in the same way that the USS Enterprise of the US Seventh Fleet was sent to the Indian Ocean during the 1971 war between India and Pakistan.
This is an extremely serious political statement of the escalating cost of finalising the nuclear deal with the United States, says analayst and former foreign service official, Bhadrakumar Melkulangara.
“An American aircraft carrier deployed in the Persian Gulf specifically for threatening and bullying Iran comes to an Indian port for 'rest and recreation'. What will Iran and the international community make out of it?"
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