Asking the government to 'stop pussyfooting' on the David Coleman Headley case, the Communist Party of India-Marxist on Saturday said it must immediately seek access to the terror accused.
The Manmohan Singh government has 'once again shown how unequal the US-India relationship is and the least that the government of India can do is to demand immediate access to Headley. The US needs to be told that cooperation has to be reciprocal," the CPM politburo said.
It said Union Home Minister P Chidambaram knew 'very well that extradition is ruled out by the plea bargain. Yet, he declares, he is prepared to be patient. ... The United Progressive Alliance government is more concerned about justifying the US stance.'
The CPI-M said it was established that Headley has been an agent for the Drug Enforcement Authority of the United States and it was also a fact that he had visited Mumbai both before and after the terrorist attack in 2008.
"The attitude of the US authorities suggests that he has been a double-agent. It is inexplicable, therefore, why the UPA government is pussyfooting around the issue with the US administration," the party politburo said.
The party asked if access cannot be given to Headley on the grounds that the issue has already gone to court, 'why was access not granted earlier when the Indian team was sent to the United States?"
While Headley has pleaded guilty to all 12 charges including complicity in the Mumbai terror strikes, the Indian authorities have been denied access to him.
However, India has allowed the Federal Bureau of Investigation to interrogate Ajmal Kasab in Mumbai, the CPI-M politburo said.
Observing that the US was only concerned about its AfPak strategy, it said Washington was 'not willing to cooperate in an investigation concerning a prime accused of the Mumbai terror attack.'
"Yet the FBI and the CIA have access to all our intelligence and security related material and personnel," the party noted.