'No differences among Left parties on N-deal'

Vadodara, Aug 26: CPI national council secretary Shameem Faizee today said all the four Left parties were united on their stand against the ''anti-national'' Indo-US nuclear deal and asserted they would withdraw support to the UPA government at the Centre if it went ahead with India-specific International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) negotiations at its Vienna summit on September 19.

Airing the strong view of the Left, Mr Faizee told reporters here that there was no difference of opinion among the four left parties on the nuclear deal as it was undoubtedly not in the interest of the country.

''We have given an ultimatum to the UPA government not to proceed with the deal at the IAEA's board of governors' meeting on September 19. If it does so despite our warning, the Left parties will have no option but to withdraw their outside support to the Manmohan Singh government,'' Mr Faizee said.

Claiming that the UPA government had not been able to garner majority support on the Indo-US nuclear agreement, the CPI leader accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of having misled Parliament on the deal and warned that the nation would pay a heavy price if the deal was not scrapped.

Mr Faizee, who is here to attend CPI's Gujarat state council meeting, said the left parties wanted a full-fledged Parliamentary debate on the issue as it would be in the interest of the nation.

The government had finally agreed to hold such a debate under pressure, he added.

As part of their nation-wide campaign to mobilise public support against the deal, Mr Faizee said his party would organise dharnas, demonstrations and rallies in all the districts of Gujarat for three days from September 6.

Asked about his party's strategy to fight the coming Gujarat Assembly elections, the CPI leader said all the secular parties must come forward and dislodge Gujarat Chif Minister Narendra Modi from power as his government was responsible for growing communal tension in the state. He also lambasted Mr Modi for the ''lawlessness'' and ''anti-farmer'' policies of his government.

UNI