Follow US footsteps in Bhopal gas tragedy case: Sitaram Yechury

CHENNAI - Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury has said the Union Government should deal with the Bhopal gas tragedy the way the US dealt with British Petroleum (BP) for the oil spill it caused in Gulf of Mexico.

Talking to reporters here on Sunday, Yechury said: “Indian government always follows and imitates actions of the United States. Now why don’t they handle the Bhopal case the way the US handled oil spill by the British Petroleum.”

“US government made sure that BP pays 20 billion dollars as compensation for victims of its Gulf of Mexico oil well blowout. In the same manner India should put pressure on Dow Chemicals to foot the bill of cleanup”, he added.

Talking about the issue of fuel price hike, Yechury said the date of announcement of fuel price increase coincided with the date of announcement of emergency 30 years ago.

“While emergency is worst form of political authoritarianism, the fuel price hike is worst form of economic authoritarianism. The CPIM will fight it out and make them roll back the hike,” he added.

“We have completely opposed this hike. The left parties together will go onto an all India action. We would move into a big action to force the government to reverse this decision,” he said.

He rejected the reason cited by the UPA government for the fuel price increase that the oil companies were facing losses.

“If the government withdrew the heavy tax on crude then the prices would automatically come down and oil companies would not suffer any loss, he said, adding, government should withdraw tax on petroleum products.” (ANI)