Wednesday, July 13 2005 17:09 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Criticising UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government for its keenness to enlist American support for India's candidature as a permanent member of the Security Council, the CPI(M) (Communist Party of India (Marxist) has said such a step would "detract" from New Delhi's credibility as an independent power which was necessary for its representation in the UN body.

"Giving in to the US on such vital issues will be counterproductive and will actually detract from India's credibility as an independent power which necessitates its representation in the Security Council", party General Secretary Prakash Karat said in an article.

"This is a clear attempt to inveigle India into granting more concessions and be amenable to becoming a junior partner of the US in Asia", Karat said in the article to be published in the forthcoming issue of CPI(M) organ 'People's Democracy'.

Unfortunately, he said India has already sent a signal to go along with Washington by signing the framework of Indo-US defence relationship, he said, days ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the US.

"The question of India's representation in the Security Council should not be delinked from wider question of democratisation of the UN structure. The powers of the General Assembly should be strengthened.

"The deleterious impact of US unilateralism on the UN must be checked", Karat asserted. Drawing away from political issues, the CPI(M) General Secretary said the Prime Minister should also find out about the "fate of social security reforms that (President) Bush wanted to push through".

Pointing out that Bush had also proposed to privatise the American social security fund to which, US citizens contribute and put the money into the stock market, Karat said.

"the proposal has met with widespread opposition and the President has been forced to backtrack". But, in India, government employees' pension funds are proposed to be privatised and put in the stock market.

"The people of India, who consider pension, a social security benefit, oppose what the American people oppose; the privatisation of the social security fund", Karat asserted.

On the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, the CPI(M) leader said that the Prime Minister should "convey in clear terms India's determination to pursue the project. The US should be told that it cannot hamper India's quest for energy security".