'Once we break, we will be on the other side'

A senior Communist Party of India-Marxist leader on Friday issued fresh threats of breaking with the UPA government if it went ahead with the next step in the Indo-US nuclear deal.

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"If the government takes the next step, we will break with them," the highly-placed leader told media persons, but did not want to be identified.

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Asked whether the CPM would vote against the government after withdrawal of support, he said, "Once we break, we will be on the other side (opposition)."

To a question whether the Left parties would de-link the IAEA safeguards agreement from the 123 agreement with the US and would be satisfied with a public announcement from the government on the issue, he shot back: "Are they (government) going to make a public pronouncement?"

'Blame Congress, not Left'
The Communist Party of India on Friday said that the Congress should be blamed -- and not the Left parties -- if the UPA government collapses on the Indo-US nuclear deal issue and an early election is forced upon the people.

"We never said we will pull the government down," said CPI general secretary A B Bardhan.

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"We have some written agreements and if the Congress wants to ignore that and go ahead with the nuclear deal, then Congress should be blamed for an early election and not the Left parties."

However, there are moves to shift the blame of an early election on Left parties, said the CPI leader. The UPA coalition partners not to push the people into an early election, he added.

"If the government wants to ignore us and go ahead with the nuke deal, then they are endangering their own government."

Replying to a question, he said the Left parties are always ready for elections whether they are held as scheduled in March or April 2009, or even before that.

Bardhan said the Left parties are yet to receive a copy of the nuclear deal draft copies, which was agreed to at the last meeting with the Congress.

"When the country is facing about 12 per cent inflation, why the Congress-led government wants to take a hasty decision on the while ignoring basic issues," he asked.

The tenure of US President George W Bush is ending in four months. The general elections in India are also not too far, said Bardhan, adding that the government should concentrate on more sensitive issues like inflation.