The CPI on Thursday said it will take a stand consistent with its political position in case of voting on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal in Parliament and rejected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s assertion that the agreement was non-negotiable.

After a meeting of its Parliamentary Party, CPI made it clear that it was ready for a serious discussion in Parliament on the civil nuclear deal “with or without vote” and it was up to the government to decide under what rule the debate should be taken up.

“We shall do something which is consistent with our political stand,” CPI Parliamentary Party leader in Lok Sabha Gurudas Dasgupta told reporters here when asked what would be his party’s stand in case of voting on the deal as demanded by main Opposition BJP. When pointed out that the Prime Minister has already told Left leaders that the deal was non-negotiable, he shot back saying “the Prime Minister of a multi-party government does not have the right to say the last word.”

“The 123 agreement is anti-India. There is no need for a JPC. We reject it lock, stock and barrel,” he added. The CPI also accused the government of “failure” on many fronts ranging from its foreign policy to economic initiatives and reiterated that it was time the Left parties “redefine” their relationship with the UPA. Dasgupta said the CPI would raise issues like price rise, corruption, opening up of retail trade to FDI, mushrooming of SEZs, neglect of the public distribution system and oppose the legislation for unorganised workers and micro finance bill in its present form. The CPI will demand implementation of the Sachar Committee and Srikrishna Commission  reports on the status of Muslims and Mumbai riots respectively. On India’s ties with the US, Dasgupta said the nuclear deal is an indication of “lengthening of shadows of American imperialism over Indian politics” and asked the government and the Congress to ponder whether they are moving away from the non-aligned movement.

‘Shocking disregard’
Meanwhile, the main opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Thursday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has displayed “shocking disregard” to public opinion by declaring the 123 Agreement as “non-negotiable”.

The party warned that the Prime Minister was “not carrying a majority national will” as practically everybody outside the government and even the parties supporting the government from outside have expressed serious reservations on the deal.

“The BJP forcefully asserts that it is not the deal but India’s sovereignty, which is non-negotiable,” the party.