Left not to withdraw support: Bardhan

Bhubaneswar, Jun 24 (UNI) CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan today said the Left would stick to its ''firm'' stand on the nuclear issue but did not foresee the fall of the UPA government at the Centre.

''The Left parties are not keen to withdraw support from the UPA government but if they (UPA) fall on their own how can we prevent it,'' Mr Bardhan remarked while describing the June 25 meeting on the nuclear deal as ''crucial''.

He said the party would stick to its stand on the Nuclear Deal and oppose any military strategic partnership with the United States as it was ''contrary to the country's independent foreign policy.'' The CPI leader said his party would consider if the government came forward with any proposal at the meeting and reiterated that the text on the discussion between the IAEA and the Indian government on the nuclear deal must be circulated before the meeting.

He said it was decided in the last meeting that the text would be placed before the committee and the findings of the committee would be taken into account before the next meeting.

''Neither the text was circulated nor the committee discussed anything on the text, yet the pressure is mounting and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seems to be very much insistent, ignoring the fact that the UPA government had made it clear that the findings of the committee would be taken into account before the next meeting,'' Mr Bardhan said.

The CPI leader, however, said as regards to the party's stand on the nuclear deal, it did not want anything to happen that would ''strengthen the communal and divisive forces.'' The UPA government, he said, must now focus its attention as to how to address the rising inflation which had affected the economy of the country.

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