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Communists chase Indo-US wargames out of West Bengal for good
Itâs once bitten, twice shy for the UPA government. The hue and cry raised by its Left allies over the Indo-US air exercises at Kalaikunda last November has prompted the Defence Ministry to avoid future confrontation by keeping the war-games venue outside West Bengal.A base in Punjab, likely to be selected as the alternative arena, will be upgraded to international standards by October to conduct the next mock war. And to make that happen, two officers from Delhi-based Western Air Command were sent to Kalaikunda to assess the facilities and emulate them at the optional site. Significantly, this was not the plan before the Left protest started. The daily turnout of agitators outside Kalaikunda airbase compelled the IAF to despatch the scout team of Director (Fighter Operations) Gp Capt B Dhanoa and Director (Administration) Gp Capt R Sharma on November 18, the last day of the exercise. The IAF spent close to Rs 10 crore in sprucing up Kalaikunda, a MiG-27 base under Eastern Air Command, with better living quarters and facilities to host large complements of foreign crew and aircraft. A similar amount would now be needed to upgrade the new site. The IAF is not buying the Leftâs stand that the exercise was symbolic of imperialism. ââHow come the Left did not protest when similar exercises with the Americans were held in Gwalior in 2004?ââ a WAC officer told The Indian Express. âIt was a political problem, but it was very embarrassing situation for the air force. We had guests from abroad who were subjected to this unfortunate turnout of political protestors. We would much rather have smooth-sailing in the future,ââ said the officer. The Americans termed the protests a ââlegitimate voice in a democracyââ. The Kalaikunda exercises continued despite the protests, even as the Defence Ministry remained torn between burgeoning Indo-US ties manifested in the complexity of the exercises, and its political commitment to its allies. The ministryâs hunt for an alternative is to avoid being caught in such a cleft again. Posted by: john 2006-01-03 |
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