N-deal: Left extends deadline for UPA

New Delhi, Jul 4:The Left front on Friday, July 4, asked the government to make it clear by July 7 whether it was going ahead with the India-specific safeguards agreement with the IAEA on the Indo-US nuclear deal. The Left has announced it will also launch a country wide agitation about the failures of UPA government on rising prices and will explain their stand on N-deal to the people.

Speaking to media, CPM general secretary said he was going to send a letter to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee with the Left's queries."We have asked the Govt when is it going to the IAEA to finalise the safeguards agreement. They should tell this to us by July 7. The general secretaries of all four Left parties have signed the letter." He also said the Left will launch an agitation over the govt"s failures on all fronts from July 14. He also said they will not allow communal parties to surge their head in India.

It was a divided Left Front that convened a meeting of their coordination committee to work out the modalities of a pull out over the Indo-US civil nuclear deal. There is a difference of opinion in the Left parties as to the timing of a pull-back.

CPI General Secretary AB Bardhan on Thursday, July 3, had said he would urge the Left parties in their meeting on Friday that modalities for withdrawal of support from government should be worked out as the Government was ignoring its allies and was infact being deceptive over the nuclear deal.

CPI dosen't want to embarrass the Prime Minister at a time when he was leaving for an important summit such as G 8. RSP and Forward Bloc are of the view that support to the UPA at the earliest. Prakash Karat has also said if the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were to go to the G8 - which is now a sure thing - it will be considered as a movement on the nuclear deal. He infact wanted to avert the G8 visit by pulling the rug and pushing the government into a minority.

OneIndia News