Reiterating their insistence that the government should not proceed with their negotiations with the IAEA and the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) as part of operationalising the deal, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said on Monday that the Left parties would block the deal.

“Nobody can convince us about the deal. We will have to see that it does not go ahead,” Karat said addressing a convention on the Indo-US nuclear deal here.

The 15-member committee with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee as its convener, has been set up to allay the apprehensions of the crucial outside supporters, who alleged that the deal would have adverse effects on national security and the independent foreign policy of the country.

Addressing the convention organised by the Committee on Independent Foreign Policy, Karat also said that the Left parties would build up a massive campaign by linking the nuclear deal with other economic polices of the government and would “go to the people in a few weeks’ time”.

Referring to the UPA government, he categorically said : “We cannot trust this government. First, government signed Defence Agreement with the US and asked us to trust them. Then they signed the 123 Agreement and asked us to trust them. And now they will say trust us and let us go to the IAEA and then their negotiations with the NSG will continue. No we do not trust them”.

In the context of Monday’s “hard talk”, political observers feel that the committee is unlikely to come out with any solution to the Left-UPA standoff on the nuclear deal. 

Chowkidar for the US
Arguing for developing other forms of energy instead of investing huge funds for nuclear power, CPI general secretary A B Bardhan said though the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) had mentioned about maintaining friendly relations with the US, the Manmohan Singh government was “going too far”.“The CMP talked about maintaining friendly relations with the US, it did not mention that India should be reduced to a chowkidar of the American government,” he said.

Former prime minister V P Singh, who was also present on the occasion, said the government was pushing through the deal against the wishes of the majority in Parliament.

“I am really amazed to see that the Prime Minister is willing to listen to President Bush, but he is not ready to hear our Parliament,” he said.

Maintaining that the deal was aimed at saving the US nuclear industry, former diplomat M B Bhadrakumar said the deal would generate business worth $150 billion.

Former director of Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Dr A N Prasad  drew attention to the “high risk factors” associated with imported reactors as Indian engineers did not have the needed know-how.