Don't operationalise bad, unequal deal: Left

New Delhi, Oct 2 (UNI) Left Parties today warned the UPA Government against operationalising the Indo-US Nuclear deal, terming it as unequal and against the national interest, and asserted that they will observe October 4 as a 'Black Day' to protest Government's surrender to the 'US imperialism'.

Alleging that the final deal contains not only the provisions of the Hyde Act but also the additional measures, they said the battle would now be in and outside Parliament. They also appealed to all the democratic and progressive forces to join the struggle against the Government's betrayal of the nation and its bypassing the Parliament and the public opinion.

The Left Parties' harsh reaction came after the US Congress approved a controversial deal ending a three decades ban on US Nuclear trade with India, unleashing billions of Dollars of investment and drawing the biggest democracy closer to the West.

While the CPI(M) asked the Manmohan Singh Government not to sign it when American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice comes here to ink it on October 4, the CPI maintained the US administration had extracted a huge price for limited supply and limited nuclear fuel.

''This is a bad deal, unequal treaty and is against the vital interest of the country and a surrender to the US,'' CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said at a press conference.

The CPI Deputy General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy and National Secretary Shamim Faize told UNI that the latest law makes India committed to purchase 10,000 Mega Watts nuclear supply plants worth 70 billion Dollar from the US.

After the Senate approval it is now the responsibility of the Prime Minister to take the nation into confidence, the CPI leaders said and added, ''Without discussing the entire resolution approved by the US Congress and the Senate and the allied documents in the Parliament, the Government should not go ahead''.

In 1979, there was a nuclear accident in the Three Mile Island, since than the US did not put up any nuclear reactor and the same are now going to be dumped in India, they said.

All India Forward Bloc National Secretary G Devrajan said if the Government went ahead to operationalise the deal, the Left Parties will hold nationwide protest holding demonstrations, rallies, public meetings, will hoist black flags and would also wear black badges on October 4.

Addressing newspersons, Mr Karat said... (here picking up from para 3, line 1, NUCLEAR-CPI(M)-CRITICISED, DI 12) UNI KSA/BKS AE CS1737