Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Manish Tewari on Saturday questioned a particular formulation in the Indo-U.S. joint statement, and wondered if it meant allowing U.S. military bases to be set up on Indian soil.
The joint statement was issued after the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday, a day before the inaugural session of the G-20 summit in New Delhi.
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In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr. Tewari also said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)/Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will have to answer for the particular formulation in Parliament.
“The leaders applauded the conclusion of a second Master Ship Repair Agreement, with the most recent agreement signed by the U.S. Navy and Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders, Ltd., in August 2023,” the particular paragraph (para 18) in the joint statement, released by the White House, read.
“Both sides recommitted to advancing India’s emergence as a hub for the maintenance and repair of forward-deployed U.S. Navy assets and other aircraft and vessels. The leaders also welcomed further commitments from U.S. industry to invest more in India’s maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities and facilities for aircraft,” the joint statement said.
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“This Para 18 in the Indo-US joint Statement has long term implications. Earlier too Para 14 in the Joint Statement dated June 22 2023 had a similar formulation,” Mr. Tewari responding to it on X.
“Is this a precursor to providing US Military bases on Indian Soil NDA/BJP will have to clarify in Parliament,” the Congress leader posted.
