Oppn stir against nuke deal

Hyderabad, Sep 25 (UNI) Coinciding with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's meeting with US President George W Bush, Opposition parties, including the TDP, Left parties and Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam Party (PRP), held a joint demonstration here today to protest the Indo-US Nuclear deal.

Addressing the protestors, TDP president and UNPA Convenor N Chandrababu Naidu described the deal as ''death warrant'' for the nation and exhorted all sections of the people to oppose the deal.

Dr Singh was bent upon operationalising the deal, allegedly neglecting serious issues confronting the country, including skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and acute shortage of fertilisers, he claimed.

Participating in its maiden stir, PRP Spokesman P Mitra claimed the deal was not just related to meeting the country's energy demands but the US would control India's foreign policy through the Deal.

CPI State Secretary K Narayana said the resolution, adopted by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had amply made it clear the Hyde Act was supreme and not the 123 Agreement. The UPA Government had misled Parliament and the people of India on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

CPI(M) leader and MLA M A Gafoor and former TRS minister N Narasimha Reddy were among those who took part.

Activists of the Republican Socialists Party, Telangana Rashtra Samiti and Janata Dal(S) also took part.

Reports of joint protests by the Opposition parties were received from all over the State.

UNI SM VA GM LPB HT1814