Left to maintain original stand on N-deal: Karat

Agartala, Mar 10: CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat has reaffirmed that the left parties would maintain their previous stand on Indo-US nuclear deal in the left-UPA meeting in the coming week.

Mr Karat and Brinda Karat came here today on a brief visit to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Manik Sarkar-led sixth Left Front government. Talking to media persons here, Mr Karat said the Left-UPA meeting would discuss the proposal of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in administrating the deal in the next week but left parties would not make any compromise with country's sovereignty and integrity.

He had also threatened to withdraw support for the minority Congress government if it goes ahead with the pact without their approval and added, ''It is up to them to decide the fate of UPA government.'' The left parties had been saying the accord, which requires international safeguards on 14 of India's 22 reactors, threatens India's nuclear weapons programme and allies the country too closely with the US.

However, the Manmohan Singh government maintains that the "deal is vital to keep its energy-hungry economy growing". The pact still needs approval from the IAEA and the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which regulates global civilian nuclear trade.

UNI