US adopting double standards in dealing with disasters: CPI

The CPI today accused the US of adopting double standards in dealing with disasters like the recent oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico and the Bhopal gas disaster.

"The Barrack Obama administration is evincing interest in welfare of shrimp farmers affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, but nothing has been mentioned by the US president with respect to victims of Bhopal gas tragedy. This is a clear case of double standards on the part of US", CPI secretary D Raja said here.

He said the safe passage of then Union Carbide chairman Warren Andersen out of India could not have been possible without knowledge of the Congress government at the Centre and
in Madhya Pradesh at the time of the disaster in 1984.

He was also critical of the constitution of the Group of Ministers to look into the issue and said it would serve no purpose.

He said the Left parties would oppose the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill if it were introduced in Parliament in its present form and alleged the UPA government was keen on getting it passed just to gain the confidence of US investors. 

The Left parties would hold a national level conference in Delhi on July 1 and urge all district and state units of parties to intensify agitations against the UPA government's policies, he said.