The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on December 9, 2016.

THE Modi government has taken yet another step in entangling India in a military alliance with the United States of America. The terms for India being accorded the status of a major defence partner of the US has been finalised during the visit of the US secretary of defence Asthon Carter.

The status of a major defence partner is equivalent to that of the close military allies of the United States such as Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Japan and South Korea.

Coming in the wake of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), this new agreement will further encroach upon India’s sovereignty and strategic autonomy.

The CPI(M) is strongly opposed to such military collaborations.

The Modi government has not made the text of these agreements public. It is imperative that these agreements which have vital implications for India’s national interests and sovereignty be made available to the people.