Left asks UPA to seek ''sense of Parliament'' on nuke deal

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

New Delhi, Aug 10 (UNI) The Left parties today asked the ruling UPA coalition to seek ''the sense of Parliament'' on the nuclear deal and warned that ''if it chose to dishonour'' the same, the government should be prepared to face ''serious political consequences''.

''We urge the Congress leadership to honour the majority view of the House and put the deal on hold if it does not approve it,'' said leaders of the Left parliamentary groups in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

The four Left parties, however, did not seem to be in a mood to pull down the three-year-old Congress-led government as they were ready to debate the issue under any rule chosen by the government while disagreeing with the demand of the NDA and the UNPA for debate under rule 184 which entails voting.

At a news conference, CPI(M) and CPI floor leaders in Lok Sabha Basudeb Acharia and Gurudas Dasgupta hoped the ruling coalition would ''see the writing on the wall; not proceed with operationalising the deal and amend the Constitution to ensure that all international treaties and even some bilateral agreements are ratified by Parliament''. The Left, Mr Acharia said, had also objected to bypassing of Parliament by the government when India became a member of the World Trade Organisation.

The Left leaders warned if the government chose not to ''honour the sense of House'' on the deal, it would have to face ''serious political consequences'', reminding that its survival depended on their support.

Asked about what they had meant by political consequences for the ruling coalition in case it went ahead ignoring the majority view of MPs, they said Congress party knew the meaning, adding, ''we are a sizable and respectable force'' in the country which could not be ignored.

When a scribe pointed towards Mr Acharia's reported statement that they did not want to pull down the government, the Left leaders evaded reply. But the Marxist leader later told UNI his statement should be read in totality and not in isolation. He, however, reiterated that the Left would not go along with the BJP which had given a notice under Rule 184 which entailed division of votes following debate on the nuke deal.

The Left leaders disagreed with the demand of NDA and UNPA seeking discussion under Rule 184, saying ''this is not the only way to press the government.'' They also disagreed with the BJP view that discussion on the deal in Parliament would be an exercise in futility if the government remained rigid in its attitude on the deal. ''We don't agree that the utility of the House is over.'' CPI(M) deputy floor leader in Lok Sabha Mohammad Salim said the debate would help know the ''sense of the House'' and go a long way in building public opinion.

They said the four Left parties, in a joint meeting here today in which leaders of the RSP and Forward Bloc also participated, held the view the government could not go for the final signing of the deal without approval of Parliament.

Mr Rup Chand Pal and Mr D Raja, senior leaders of CPI(M) and CPI, said the Left would remain steadfast on its stand on the issue and would not compromise on it.

UNI

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