Imperialism, NDA

Condemn LEMOA Signed by Modi Govt. with USA

The Modi Govt. has taken a significant step in the direction of forging military alliance with USA with the signing of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). This document, signed during Defence Minister Manohar Parriker visit to USA, aims at allowing USA to use Indian military facilities including naval bases for supplies, spare parts and refuelling. The text of this agreement was finalized during Narendra Modi’s visit to USA in June this year. Through this agreement, Modi Govt. has aligned India with US imperialism in its drive to contain China with particular reference to South China Sea. US intends to use India for its Pivot to Asia, meant to confront the increasing strength of China, under which US wishes to deploy 60% of its naval forces in Asia-Pacific region by the end of the year. This agreement will enable US to use readymade Indian facilities for military purposes and is a key part of the US strategy in the region.

The agreement, long sought by US Admn., has been in the pipeline for over a decade and a half. It was first mooted during the earlier tenure of the BJP led NDA Govt. in 2002. It was one of the four agreements sought by US Admn., others being the Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA) and End User Verification Agreement. The last named has already been signed. Manmohan Singh led UPA Govt., though deepening strategic ties with US imperialism, hesitated in signing the current agreement. Now Modi Govt., in its hurry to drive India firmly into US camp, has signed it and work on the other two is also proceeding. It has ignored that the widespread opposition in India to the proposal. People of India have deep suspicions of and strong opposition to tying India to the military strategic chariot of US imperialist superpower.

This driving of India into military alliance with US imperialism and its allies especially when they are pursuing aggressive agenda against China, has serious repercussions for India. India will become a hotbed of contradictions among imperialist powers and tensions in South Asia will escalate. US media has characterized this agreement as a “major war pact” and has seen in this “A major step for India away from its Cold War alliance with Russia, toward a new alliance with the U.S. (and Japan and Australia) to protect the Indian Ocean and the seas off Southeast Asia, especially from China.” This pact will increase suspicions in Russia besides China and Pakistan.

This pact is in line with the US imperialist drive to forge a military pact of four powers including Japan and Australia besides India. Rather than increasing India’s strategic possibilities it will decrease them and make Indians cannon fodder for the US’s strategic goals. It will increase conflicts in the region and would further endanger regional peace and cooperation. Modi Govt. has miscast India in this alliance when US imperialism is finding it difficult to sustain its aggressive designs in different parts of the world and is seeking allies to sustain its strategic thrust for domination and hegemony. Modi Govt. is also failing to see that US’s aggressive actions are meeting resistance in different parts of the world. Modi Govt. is displaying total lack of perspective in its visceral hatred for China and in its ambition to push India into US embrace.

Modi Govt. is forcing this alliance on the Indian people who have a proud history of struggle against the British colonial rule. RSS, which controls Modi Govt. and had deliberately kept itself aloof from the anti-colonial struggle of the Indian people, has obviously no regard for the anti-imperialist traditions of the people’s struggles in the country. It swadeshi plank is merely a subterfuge to hide its brazen subservience to western imperialist powers and to cover its real objectives before the gullible.

CPI(ML)-New Democracy strongly condemns this agreement and calls upon the people to protest against deepening military ties with US imperialism.

Central Committee

CPI(ML)-New Democracy

August 30, 2016