National

Left parties sound a note of warning

NEW DELHI: The Left parties on Monday reiterated their opposition to the India-U.S. civilian nuclear deal and warned the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government that it would risk its stability if it decided to go ahead with the nuclear deal.

The Left parties were reacting to hints given by President Pratibha Patil in her address to Parliament that the deal would sail through.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury said the “stand on the nuclear deal remains the same.” His Polit Bureau colleague M.K. Pandhe said the government had promised to bring the proceedings of its negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the Left-UPA Joint Committee on the Nuclear Deal before taking any final decision.

“We have told them that we will not allow the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal to be pursued. They told us they will not sign it or initial it at the IAEA and put the proposals before the Committee. If they breach this commitment, it is they who will suffer,” Mr. Pandhe told reporters. The CPI (M) Polit Bureau began its two-day meeting here.

CPI national secretary and MP D. Raja said there was no change in the Left stand. “We are firm in our opposition to the deal. It is the U.S. which is showing desperation and indulging in pressure tactics to bend India to sign the nuclear deal,” he said. Mr. Raja said the President’s comments on the nuclear deal did not reflect the view of Parliament.

Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) general secretary T.J. Chandrachoodan said the UPA will have to “choose between the deal or government.”

He said the Left parties would “scuttle the deal” and warned if the government went ahead with it, it would be in “trouble.”

The three-day 18th national conference of the RSP that ended here on Sunday also decided to persuade other Left parties to withdraw support to the UPA government if it went ahead with the deal, the newly elected RSP general secretary told reporters.

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