Date:23/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/23/stories/2008052355581200.htm

National

Left parties to discuss nuclear deal today

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the May 28 meeting of the UPA-Left joint committee on the India-U.S. nuclear deal, the four Left parties are meeting here on Friday to finalise their strategy not only on the nuclear deal but also on issues such as price rise, runaway inflation and agrarian crisis.

The Left parties — Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Forward Bloc and the Revolutionary Socialist Party — are also expected to undertake a comprehensive review of the UPA government’s progress in the past four years. The Left parties are expected to decide on ways to carry forward their joint struggle against price rise.

On the nuclear issue, Forward Bloc general secretary Debabrata Biswas told The Hindu that the Left parties would discuss how to respond to the India-specific safeguards agreement which the government has finalised and awaits the approval of the UPA-Left joint panel for conclusion.

CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat has said prospects of operationalising the nuclear deal as per the American deadline were fading away and a “desperate” attempt was being made to urge the government to go ahead with the deal ignoring the Left’s opposition.

The CPI has also renewed its threat if the government moved ahead on the nuclear issue, with its general secretary A.B. Bardhan saying the government could not take the Left support for granted and would “have to do it without us.”