'No going back on Indo-US nuclear deal'

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 12: Reiterating that there was no question of going back from its earlier stand on the Indo-US nuclear deal, CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat today made it clear the Left Front would not allow its implementation and any move in this regard would be opposed in Parliament.

Addressing a media conference here, he cautioned, ''The Congress-led government will have to face serious political consequences, if it tried to go ahead with the deal and implement it. We will make our stand clear in Parliament and the matter will be discussed in two days,'' he added.

Replying to questions, Mr Karat, who was here to attend the state committee meeting, said, ''the government is running with our support and the Congress has to decide on whether it wants to run the government or not.'' The CPI(M) Secretary alleged the deal was against the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government, on the basis of which the Left parties were supporting the government.

He said if the UPA Government went ahead with the agreement along with the US, the Left would go to the people to mobilise them against the ''surrender of national interests''.

On Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks on the nuclear deal, he said, ''Mr Singh is very sensitive about his government's relationship with the United States. But this is not a matter of sensitivity,'' he added.

UNI