Left will not relent on nuke deal

New Delhi, Aug 9 (UNI) Undeterred by the government's rejection of their plea to renegotiate the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, the CPI(M) today asserted that the Left would not budge from their stand and would corner it on the '' unequal deal'' in the Monsoon session of Parliament, commencing tomorrow.

'' Though we have given a notice under rule 193 which does not entail voting for discussion on the 123 agreement, there are several other rules which allow political parties to pressurise the government on any particular issue,'' CPI(M) floor leaders Basudeb Achariya and Mohammad Salim said in the Lok Sabha.

Talking to UNI, they said the Left parties' would adopt a three-pronged strategy to put pressure on the government against effecting the deal and bring in a Constitutional amendment bill to make Parliament ratification mandatory for treaties and certain bilateral agreements. For this, three fora were viable- Parliament, the UPA-Left Coordination Committee and taking to the streets.

Among the other issues which the CPI(M) leaders would raise during the one month long session resolve around the Unorganised Sector Social Security Bill, flood situation in Asom, Bihar, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, price conflicts, agrarian issues, SEZ, FDI in retail among others.

The CPI(M) leaders' assertion assumes special significance in the wake of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh categorically telling Left leaders that the 123 agreement was '' non -negotiable'' and the government would operationalise the deal even though some observers claim it to be a ''lost battle.'' The issue has the potential to rock Parliament with the BJP and the UNPA deciding to pin down the government on the issue even as Dr Singh in his suo motu statement in Parliament on August 13 is expected to present point-by-point assurances which the government met in the agreement.

On the BJPs demand for a constitutional amendment to ratify all international treaties, Mr Mohammad said, ''at present, there is no such provision available.'' The CPI(M) Deputy floor leader in the Lok Sabha said they would have to move a constitutional amendment to enable Parliament to express its views emphatically on such international treaties.

''They can put their demands now, but during the party's six year regime at the Centre, it chose to tamper with the Constitution for vested political interests without working on such a provision''.

On the government's assertion that the deal could not be re-negotiated, Mr Mohammad said it would now be easy to not proceed with operationalising it. As for its assertion that the deal has already been approved by the Cabinet, it can easily retract as it did in case of the disinvestment of BHEL''.

The Left leaders said the Cabinet decision was not that sacrosanct in a political democracy as the Cabinet was bound to reflect in its conduct the commitments made in Parliament rather than expecting the august institution to toe the line of the Cabinet.

They said the Left floor leaders would meet here tomorrow to formalise the joint parliametary strategy to further put the government in the dock even as Dr Singh already conveyed to them that the deal was ''non- negotiable'' and there was no going back on it.

The four Left parties- the CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc have rejected the agreement and expressed their inability to view it as a '' a separate and compartmentalised entity without considering its implications for India's independent foriegn policy, strategic autonomy and the repurcussions of the US quest to make India a reliable ally in Asia.'' UNI