INDIA’S COMMUNIST LEADER DISSATISFIED WITH THE GOM ON BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY

NATURAL WITH HINDI AND ENGLISH SPEECH

DURATION: 2.41
OURCE: ANI

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India’s communist leader dissatisfied with the GoM on Bhopal tragedy.

Brinda Karat, senior politburo member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) dissatisfied with the Group of Ministers (GoM) probing the Bhopal gas tragedy case; wants an independent and comprehensive inquiry.

SHOWS:

PATNA, BIHAR, INDIA (JUNE 14, 2010) (ANI- NO ACCESS BBC)

1. MEMBERS OF THE ALL INDIA AGRICULTURAL WORKERS UNION TAKING OUT A RALLY

2. PROTESTORS HOLDING A BANNER AND WALKING ON THE ROAD

3. PROTESTORS SHOUTING SLOGANS

4. BRINDA KARAT, SENIOR POLITBURO MEMBER OF COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MARXIST), WALKING WITH THE DEMONSTRATORS (3 SHOTS)

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRINDA KARAT, SENIOR POLITBURO MEMBER OF COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MARXIST), SAYING: “We are not satisfied with the GoM (Group of Ministers). You require an independent probe into the connivance of different levels of Indian institutions with the criminals of the Union Carbide Corporation in America and India on Bhopal.”

6. THE RALLY IN PROGRESS (2 SHOTS)

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) BRINDA KARAT, SENIOR POLITBURO MEMBER OF COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MARXIST), SAYING: “We have asked them to implement procedures for the extradition of Anderson. An appeal should be filed to increase the sentence and the main question, the verdict, they should appeal against this verdict. Nuclear Liability Bill which the government wants to implement, the government should take it back otherwise it will give rise to more Warren Andersons.”

8. THE PROTESTORS WALKING

9. PROTESTORS HOLDING FLAGS AND SHOUTING SLOGANS (2 SHOTS)

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi and English) BRINDA KARAT, SENIOR POLITBURO MEMBER OF COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MARXIST), SAYING: “Two months ago the Prime Minister had said during the meeting of chief ministers that the worst is over as far as price rise is concerned. But we are seeing that the worst I think is yet to come because over 16 percent relentless price hike in food inflation and that is also the price hike which is most affecting the people. In such a situation for the government to once again contemplate increasing the prices of fuel again, its just shameful.”

11. KARAT SITTING

12. PEOPLE SITTING

13. KARAT ADDRESSING THE PARTICIPANTS

14. PEOPLE LISTENING TO KARAT (2 SHOTS)

15. KARAT ADDRESSING THE PEOPLE

STORY: Brinda Karat, senior politburo member of India’s Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) on Monday (June 14) expressed dissatisfaction with the Group of Ministers (GoM) probing the Bhopal gas tragedy case.

Karat, accusing the then ruling party of connivance, said that an independent and comprehensive inquiry is required in such a sensitive issue.

“We are not satisfied with the GoM (Group of Ministers). You require an independent probe into the connivance of different levels of Indian institutions with the criminals of the Union Carbide Corporation in America and India on Bhopal,” she said on the sidelines of a rally taken out by All India Agricultural Workers Union in eastern Patna city.

Karat demanded the extradition of prime accused Warren Anderson, the then chairman of the Union Carbide plant, and the scrapping of the controversial Nuclear Liability Bill, which can lead to the creation of more Anderson’s.

As per the present draft of the Nuclear Liability Bill, it would limit the liabilities of foreign firms entering India’s lucrative civilian nuclear market in case of any mishap.

“We have asked them to implement procedures for the extradition of Anderson. An appeal should be filed to increase the sentence and the main question, the verdict, they should appeal against this verdict. Nuclear Liability Bill which the government wants to implement, the government should take it back otherwise it will give rise to more Warren Andersons,” Karat added.

A local court in Bhopal on June 07 sentenced seven accused to a jail term of two years and a fine of rupees 100,000 each for negligence that resulted in the leakage of toxic gas at the Union Carbide plant at Bhopal in 1984, claiming around 3,500 lives.

Soon after the judgment, which came following a litigation lasting nearly 25 years, the extradition of Anderson, then chairman of Union Carbide, and the circumstances in which he fled India simmered into a political potboiler.

Meanwhile, Karat also slammed the government over its inability to control price rise and termed government considering to yet again increase the prices of fuel as shameful.

“Two months ago the Prime Minister had said during the meeting of chief ministers that the worst is over as far as price rise is concerned. But we are seeing that the worst I think is yet to come because over 16 percent relentless price hike in food inflation and that is also the price hike which is most affecting the people. In such a situation for the government to once again contemplate increasing the prices of fuel again, its just shameful,” Karat said.

India’s wholesale price inflation, an annual 9.6 percent in April, has remained over 8 percent for five months as food prices soared after last year’s drought.

The government has faced widespread protests against high prices and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said last week that inflation was a problem that required firm action.