Proceed no further on Nuclear deal: UNPA to Govt

New Delhi, Dec 18 (UNI) The United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) today categorically said that it was oposed to the nuclear deal and felt that the UPA government should proceed no further in that direction.

''The government has to honour majority opinion and the majority is against it,' said UNPA leader Chandra Babu Naidu of Telugu Desam which along with the Samajwadi Party and other regional parties is part of the grouping which was launched this year as a ''Third Front'' opposed to both the BJP and the Congress.

''In a democracy you have to go by what people think is right.

We are oposing the deal,'' he said addressing a press conference here along with other UNPA leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav of SP, Mr Om Prakash Chautala of INLD and Mr Brinda Goswami of the Asom Gana Parishad etc.

There should be no misunderstanding about the UNPA thinking on the issue, the leaders said when journalists asked them to clarify their stand saying that so far no categorical statement on whether they supported or opposed the deal had come from them.

The UNPA leaders had come to take part in a seminar on the farmers' issues.

Stating that the farm sector was on constant decline due to the policies of the sucessive Congress, NDA and UPA Governments, UNPA Chairman Mulayam Singh Yadav said they had were demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission Report on Farmers without any delay.

He said the UNPA would soon be launching an agitation on farmers' issues, begining with holding rallies in different states.

When asked on their relationship with the CPI-M, the UNPA leaders said that they were in dialogue with the Left party on various issues, but could not be expected to have similarity of views on every issue as their organisation was a separate entity, and the Left was moreover associated with the UPA.

Replying to a question, Mr Naidu said that AIADMK was no more part of the alliance as Ms Jayalalithaa had herself declared it.

When asked about the National Conference, Mr Naidu said that they were not formally part of UNPA so far, ''but they just came to attend our Vijyawada meeting on the farmers' issue.'' UNI