Nuclear deal: Left warns government again

Ahead of the United Progressive Alliance-Left meet on the India-United States nuclear agreement, the CPI has renewed its threat to withdraw support if the government moved ahead on the issue.

"They will have to do it without us," party General Secretary A B Bardhan said when asked what the Left would do if the government ignored their objections and went ahead on the deal.

Asked whether the Left would move a no-confidence motion against the government in that case, he said: "it means nothing of that sort."

To another question whether the Left would go with the Bharatiya Janata Party if they moved such a motion, he said, "We generally don't go with the saffron party. If that happens, we will see at that time."

The veteran communist leader said the outside supporters would take a hard stand against the government on the nuclear deal as well as major issues like price rise and the agrarian crisis. "It will be a hard decision."

However, he added, "You are forgetting that we are nine months away from elections. I don't see which political party will move a no-confidence motion when elections are just nine months away."

Bardhan's statement came a week ahead of the four Left parties' meeting, which is likely to review the overall political situation and the government's 'failure on various fronts, including price rise and the nuclear deal. 

The CPI leader said even External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had agreed that a minority government cannot sign the deal with the US.

"We are already in an election year. The elections have to take place in any case in May 2009. .... We will go to the people with the Left's stand on these issues and the bourgeois party will go with its stand," he said.

Bardhan said there was pressure on the Left parties from various sections of the people as well as their sympathisers as to "how long will you go on supporting a government which does not listen to you."

Dismissing the charge that the Left was opposing the Indo-US deal for ideological reasons, Bardhan said, "It has nothing to do with ideology, but national interests, national sovereignty and an independent foreign policy."

Bardhan had on Wednesday met his Communist Party of India – Marxist counterpart Prakash Karat and discussed various issues, including price rise and the nuclear deal. The serial blasts in Jaipur also came up during the discussions.