Left rules out immediate withdrawal

The CPI(M) dismissed on Monday the possibility of immediate withdrawal of support by Left parties to the UPA government over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Party's General Secretary Prakash Karat said that the Manmohan Singh government should choose between Left support and its endeavour to have a strategic alliance with the US.

''The Americans will ask us to snap relations with Iran and scrap our gas pipeline project. This is an attack on our sovereignty. The Left will not allow the US to shape Indian foreign policy,'' said Karat.

''As long as Left parties support the UPA, US demand for privatisation of the bank, insurance and agriculture sectors will not be allowed,'' he added.

Karat emphasized that the Left parties were not against nuclear energy but Indo-US deal, which would ''affect'' India's indigenous nuclear programme. ''We have a self-reliant nuclear energy programme.''

He also said ''the deal does not have majority support in Parliament. ''All non-UPA political parties are against the deal but the government it seems places it word given to the US President George Bush above Parliament.''

Stating that the Left would not compromise on its stand, Karat said the UPA government instead of addressing the problem of price rise and strengthening PDS, was ''wasting'' time with its ''pro-America'' stand.

Speaking about the Sethusamundram project he said that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi's daughter's house was attacked in Bengaluru and BJP's office was attacked in Chennai.

''All these are happening. They should not make it a political football and the project must go forward. Now, there is a DMK government in Tamil Nadu. Earlier, it was AIADMK and the stand of both governments is the same. The NDA had earlier initiated the project,'' he said.

He said BJP had also given consent to the project during the AIADMK government and it should not be scrapped.

Karat said, the government should consult technical experts and consider environmental aspects to take the project forward.

Asked whether the Sethusamundram project has not given leverage to BJP, he said ''Let us see. Let the people decide. As far as I know, all political parties, including BJP in Tamil Nadu, are of the opinion that the project should go ahead.''

Karat was present in Ranchi in connection with the party's nation-wide campaign against the Indo-US nuclear deal.