Click to play videoNew Delhi: Rising anger in the US got President Barack Obama to come out with a tough statement against British Petroleum (BP) for the oil spill. In a televised speech, Obama said that the British oil giant would me made liable for all damages.
"Make no mistake. We will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long it takes. We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused and we will do whatever is necessary to help the Gulf coast and its people recover from this tragedy," Obama said on Wednesday.
However, the US President's statement stands in sharp contrast with his country's stand so far on Bhopal gas tragedy and the liability of Dow Chemicals in what is undoubtedly the biggest industrial disaster.
While BP has already been made to set aside $ 20 billion to compensate for the oil spill, victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy have got only about half-a-billion dollar.
"This is the worst possible example of double standards" says Sunita Narain, Director, Centre for Science and Environment.
"My only request to the US government is that as they are learning from their pain, they should share that pain and understand the pain of other countries," adds Narain
While the US government holds BP and its CEO Tony Heyward directly responsible for the spill; in 1984, the US embassy pushed for 'safe passage' for the then Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson.
The US demands upto $ 6 billion and full responsibility from BP for the cleanup; Dow chemicals has lobbied through its government for zero liability.
The US wants BP to pay $ 24 billion in compensations, but it readily agreed to Union Carbide India's settlement of less than half-a-billion dollar.
Compared to 11 deaths reported during oil rig explosion, Bhopal's tragedy has claimed the lives of 15, 0000 men, women and children.
Whether it's the Bhopal gas tragedy or the oil spill, the US government is being accused of protecting its own interests. But it's the Indian government that must answer why it allowed the US those actions - letting Anderson go, agreeing to a paltry settlement for the victims, and for letting the toxic wastes at the Carbide factory lie there for 26 years.
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