UPA surrenders to USA over N-Deal : BJP

Kolkata, Nov 29: Alleging a 'secret trade-off' between the Congress and the CPI(M) for reprieve over the nuke deal and the Nandigram issues, former BJP president Venkaiah Naidu today said his party still stood for cancellation of the pact.

"There is a trade-off between the nuclear deal and the Nandigram issues. The Communists, who once warned the UPA to choose between the deal and the Government, have decided not to fight against the pact after yesterday's debate in Parliament," he told reporters here.

Mr.Naidu alleged that while the Congress-led UPA coalition had surrendered the country's sovereignty to the US by striking the nuke deal, the CPI(M) had abjured its core politics for the sake of power.

"It has been a drama involving the two parties which has been exposed to the people," he said.

"But we have not changed our views. We still demand that the deal be scrapped," Mr.Naidu asserted.

The BJP leader alleged that the CPI(M) lost the people's trust as much as the Congress did with all sections, including even the Governor and the High Court, condemning the Nandigram incidents.

On the Taslima Nasreen issue, he said, "India is a democratic country and she should be treated as a political refugee.

"Why was Ms Nasreen shifted from West Bengal to Jaipur and then to Delhi?" Mr Naidu asked.

He also wondered why the Centre did not take into confidence the Rajasthan government before bringing her to Delhi.

"Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi should explain the matter because the Left parties are opposing her stay in the state while the Congress wants her to be in the country," he said.

On the situation in Karnataka he said assembly elections should be held immediately as "we are confident that the BJP will come to power".

Referring to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's call to all non CPI(M) parties to unite, Mr Naidu said, "our stand is clear from day one. All anti-Communist parties should come together and if this does not happen we are prepared to go alone in next year's Panchayat election.

UNI