CPI (M) warns government that country is against N-deal

New Delhi, July 20 : The Communist Party of India (Marxist) warned the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance here today, that the country is against the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

After a two-day meeting of the CPI (M) Central Committee, the CPI (M) General Secretary, Prakash Karat said that the struggle against the nuclear deal would continue, and that the trust vote was only one phase of the struggle.

Karat said, "The deal will be doomed and the government will be doomed on July 22."

He charged the government of public betrayal and said, "You have already bypassed Parliament. You have also gone back on a public pledge because you are committed to (US) President (George W) Bush."

Accusing the UPA of taking "desperate and unscrupulous steps to engineer defections", he said the Congress and the Samajwadi Party were trying to mobilise the support of unaffiliated MPs using "money power and unscrupulous methods".

Karat also said, "It is shocking that the Manmohan Singh government went to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors for approval of the draft safeguards agreement without revealing the text to the country.

"The UNPA, BSP, JD(S), RLD and the Left parties have decided to work together," Karat said and added," We will meet after the trust vote to decide the future course of action."

The meeting is scheduled on the morning of July 23.

ANI