The raging controversy over the Indo-US nuclear deal figured prominently at the CPM politburo meeting here on Friday, even as senior leader M K Pandhe said that the party would take a unanimous decision on the issue.

Apart from the nuclear deal, repression by military junta in Myanmar on peaceful protesters and Ram Sethu issue were also discussed.

Three day meet

The politburo meeting will be followed by the three-day meeting of the CPM central committee from Saturday.

“Everything has been discussed and I am sure that we will take a unanimous decision,” Mr Pandhe told newspersons when asked whether the issue of nuclear deal was being deliberated.

Mr Pandhe, however, declined any comment when asked whether the CPM would withdraw support to the UPA government if it went ahead with operationalising the nuclear  deal.

“I cannot say anything as of now,” he said. Party leader Sitaram Yechury, who joined the meeting later in the day, indicated that both nuclear deal and the Ram Sethu issue were to be discussed in the politburo and central committee meetings.

Asked whether the Ram Sethu issue was to be discussed as prominently as the nuclear deal, Mr Yechury replied, “Why are you comparing? All issues are equally important. Comparison must not be drawn between any of them.”
Party patriarch Jyoti Basu, who participated in the meeting before and after lunch, declined to comment. “The (politburo) meeting has started,” was his reply when reporters sought his views on the meeting.

The politburo, in a statement, condemned the repression on peaceful protests in Myanmar by the military junta.

‘India should initiate’

India should utilise all political and diplomatic channels to impress upon the military government in the country to cease repression, and to initiate talks for a democratic transition, the statement said.

The politburo meeting was attended by Communist Party (Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, R Umanath, K Vardarajan, B V Raghavulu, S R Pillai, Biman Bose and Brinda Karat, besides Pandhe, Basu and Yechury.