Indian communists slam talk of sending troops to Iraq

Communist parties have slammed India’s foreign minister for saying the country may consider sending troops to Iraq following a UN resolution endorsing the planned US transfer of political authority to an interim Iraqi government.

The statements this morning came after External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh said UN approval of the plan indicates that “the situation has changed” since Parliament last year voted against dispatching troops to Iraq.

“There is a resolution unanimously passed in the United Nations and there are Arab members in it. We will look at it very carefully,” Singh told a press conference with US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

But communist groups – which are not part of the ruling coalition but whose support the government needs to pass legislation – said they would fight any attempt to dispatch Indian troops to Iraq.

There was “no change in Iraq whatsoever,” the politburo of Communist Party of India-Marxist, said in a statement. ”Iraq has been under American occupation for the last 14 months. There is a popular uprising against the brutal occupation.”

Party leader Anil Biswas said his party would “fight tooth and nail in and outside Parliament against any move to reconsider the decision on sending troops to Iraq.”

The attack on Iraq provoked widespread outrage in India, and New Delhi has resisted American requests to send troops to help improve security in the war-shattered country.

The interim Iraqi government is expected to take power at the end of the month, but some said the United States would continue to exercise control behind the scenes.

“The interim regime is going to be a puppet regime in the hands of the US and British troops,” D.Raja, leader of the Communist Party of India SAID.

“India cannot afford to send troops to Iraq. We should demand an end to the U.S. and British occupation. Leave Iraq to the people of Iraq.”