CPM vows to continue battle on nuclear deal

NEW DELHI: Calling the NSG waiver "another surrender by the Manmohan Singh government", CPM general secretary Prakash Karat on Sunday said the battle against the nuclear deal would be fought in the political arena.

Briefing newspersons after the party's two-day politburo meeting, Karat said the Left would continue to struggle against the deal and when a new government came to power after the next elections, it would demand termination of the 123 agreement.

"The struggle to rescind the agreement is not over. We had told the government to go to the people and seek a verdict," Karat said, adding that the NSG waiver was "neither clean nor unconditional".

"It will bind India to all the conditions set out in the Hyde Act. Whatever be the claim of the ruling coalition, India had made all these commitments to the US in 2005," he said, adding that the Left's basic opposition was to the 123 agreement and the Hyde Act.

The NSG waiver, Karat said, ensured that the voluntary moratorium on testing had now become part of a multilateral commitment. Restrictions on transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technology would continue. It would mean that India had committed itself to US efforts to deny Iran the fuel cycle, he said, adding that joining US efforts on Iran was one of the conditions of the Hyde Act. "India has become part of the non-proliferation regime which it always held to be discriminatory," he said.

Giving details of the politburo meeting, Karat said the party took stock of its poll preparedness and possible tie-ups. He said in the last central committee meeting, it was decided not to tie up with any ally of UPA. It would mean no truck with DMK, RJD and others. In Andhra Pradesh, Karat said nothing had been decided. There is talk of the Left tying up with actor Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam.

The politburo, Karat said, has also demanded stern action against Bajrang Dal.

Source : Times Of India