HYDERABAD: Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member and MP Sitaram Yechury on Sunday demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stick to his assurance that the Government would not accept any conditions in the nuclear deal with the United States that would adversely affect the nation's interests.

"There is a general euphoria after the U.S. Senate passed the nuclear deal, but it is entirely misplaced," Mr. Yechury told a press conference here.

Import of fuel

He said the U.S. introduced in the Bill an "add-on amendment" aimed at restricting the sale of nuclear material to India. While earlier provisions allowed the import of fuel for the 10-15 year cycle of nuclear plants, the amendment was aimed at ensuring that the quantum of import did not exceed requirements for two to three years.

This apart, India would have to obtain "a conduct certificate" from the U.S. every year, based on which the fuel requirement would be met. "This will mean that we will have to live at the mercy of the U.S. for our nuclear requirements," Mr. Yechury said.

Separation of facilities

The Government should take steps to separate civilian and military nuclear establishments "on our terms" and not as per the dictates of the U.S. The deal, in its present form, gave scope for obstructing the ongoing research for shifting from uranium to thorium processing.

He said the Left parties would press their demand for revision of rules governing the Special Economic Zones.

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