No threat to UPA govt if it drops support to nuke deal: Yechury

Agartala, Jan 6 (UNI) CPI(M) Polit Buro member Sitaram Yechury today said there would be no threat to the UPA government if it would not go ahead with operationalisation of the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Addressing a public rally organised by the Democratic Youth Federation of India(DYFI), Tripura unit, ahead of the state assembly elections here, Mr Yechury said, ''We have repeatedly stated that our concern is to stop operationalisation of the nuclear deal which is not in the interest of the nation.'' ''We let them discuss the matter at IAEA and the government was to clarify its latest position on the nuclear deal in the next meeting of the UPA-Left committee and the future depended a lot on that,'' Mr Yechury pointed out.

He, however, stated the agreement would adversely affect India's long-term interests and would threaten the country's national sovereignty, as US motives were to enlist India as a 'junior partner'.

The Centre, succumbing under US pressure, was also discouraging the Essar group and other companies working in Iran, he stated and asserted that it had become more clear that the US was pursuing the nuclear deal as a strategy to increase its dominance in South Asia.

UNI BB LL SP DB1834