Re-look nuke deal and strategic partnership with US; Left

New Delhi Nov 9 (UNI) Hailing the Democrats victory in the mid-term election to the US Congress, the Left parties today asked the UPA government to reassess the Indo-US nuclear deal and the strategic partnership between the two countries.

While the CPI and the Forward Bloc suggested the Manmohan Singh government to have a 'relook' on the nuke deal, the CPI(M) chose to ''wait'' till the government came out with its official reaction.

Notwithstanding the Democratic victory in the Congressional elections, US President George W Bush yesterday vowed to push through the civilian nuclear deal with India in the coming ''lame duck'' session of the Senate.

Talking to UNI, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said the defeat of the Republican Party in the elections signalled the rejection of foreign policy pursued by the US administraiton.

CPI(M) senior leaders M K Pandhe and Ms Brinda Karat said the Democrats' victory demonstrated that the people of America were fed up with the Iraq war.

Mr Panhde said it also signified the defeat of the Bush administration's foreign policy pursued in Lebanon, Palestine, Iran and threats of war against Syria and Korea.

Recalling the US military attack on Iraq, the CPI(M) leaders said the people of America had also rejected the Bush administration's policy of aggrandisement and behaving as the ''world's policeman''.

CPI National Secretary Shamim Faizi said the the House of Representatives had finalised its proposal for the Indo-US nuclear deal but the issue was still pending before the Senate where the Republicans had lost majority.

The CPI leaders said in the changed circumstances, India had to to reassess the entire deal in the conext of the majority gained by the Democrats in both the Houses.

They said the US administration might revise the deal to suit their own interests. ''India cannot go along with such a revised deal where more stringent clauses and restrictions will be imposed,'' Mr Bardhan and Mr Faizi added.

Forward Bloc National Secretary G Devrajan said the Manmohan Singh government will have to ''relook'' its strategic partnership and nuclear deal with the US.

UNI KSA PA MIR RN1413