Karat warns UPA to seek mandate, if goes on N-deal

The CPM general secretary Prakash Karat has reiterated that there is no question of supporting the UPA government’s move, whose earnest desire is to finalise the nuclear deal and military co-operation with the United States and if UPA want to go on the deal, it should seek fresh mandate. He also maintained to form the third political alternative with a thrust on Left’s unity.

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Speaking at a seminar on ‘Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal: Truth and Illusion’ organised on the sideline of the CPI (M) State conference here, Karat said, “the party will intensify its opposition to the deal, which envisaged a comprehensive, four-layered nuclear regime to usher in an era of 40 years of ‘nuclear blackmail’ against India.”

Karat’s comments come close on the apex of a “now-or-never” appeal from US officials to salvage the nuclear deal.

Inaugurating the delegates’ conference, the party general secretary said the CPM is determined not to let the deal go through till President Bush’ term is over.

Karat said that the party is firm in its decision to let the struggle go against the US imperialism and the fight against communalism as well as neo-liberal economic policies.

The general secretary said that our party has taken decision not to let the UPA government to finalise a safeguard agreement with the IAEA till the presidential election in US gets over.

“Our party is now in the final stage of struggle against the nuclear deal,” he maintained. Karat however showed a soft corner on UPA, when he said that government could go ahead on the nuclear energy issue with other countries such as France, Russia, Britain, once after a new US President is elected in the very early next year.

The Left will talk the UPA government not to go ahead on the nuclear deal with the Bush administration and said, “We would like the Government of India to initiate a comprehensive talk with the new administrative dispensation that would come to power in the U.S. after the coming presidential elections.”

Asking on the question of third political alternative, he said the party is busy in giving a concrete shape to its plan during the party congress at Coimbatore in March. One of the motives of the new alliance would be to provide platform for fighting communalism and common policies. He said the third alternative would deny the BJP any new ally.

Amidst a political situation where the BJP and the Congress were both in a definite position to surpass 150 marks in the next general election, the CPM believed that the UNPA and the Left could play a vital role in the formation of the next government at the Centre.

On the other way Congress on Monday dismissed any need of seeking a fresh mandate for forging a strategic alliance with US and on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

“Congress believes no fresh mandate is needed,” AICC spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told media while answering CPM general Secretary’s statement that the Left would not allow the government to go ahead with US on nuclear deal.