CPI(M) urges UPA not to go ahead with nuclear deal

Kolkata, Aug 31 (UNI) The CPI(M) today urged the UPA government not to ''proceed further'' with the Indo-US nuclear deal before submission of the report by the Committee, formed to study the implication of the Hyde Act pertaining to the deal.

Delivering the ''Naren Sen Memorial Lecture'' here, party General Secretary Prakash Karat said the Government should not approach International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on September 14 to get nuclear fuel assistance from the Nuclear Supplier Groups (NSG).

He said considering the protest against the nuclear deal and the governments decision to constitute a Committee to study the objections, the Centre should put on hold all the ''future steps'' in this regard.

''Approaching the IAEA will violate the slowdown of implementation of the deal and hence the Government should put a break on it,'' he said.

''We will carefully observe the functioning of the the Government-appointed Committee to study the implications of the Hyde Act on the nuclear agreement and decide our future course of action after submission of the report by the Committee,'' Mr Karat observed.

He said no technology would be transferred to India under the agreement and it would not benefit the country's nuclear programme.

UNI