Flagging off the “jatha” organised in Kolkata by the Left parties against the joint naval exercise involving the US, veteran CPM leader Jyoti Basu on Tuesday warned the UPA government at the Centre that it would have to face the “consequences” if it went ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Stepping up the Left attack on the UPA government for its “tilt” towards the US, Mr Basu said: “The UPA government is trying to turn the country into the American fold which is against the Common Minimum Programme on the basis of which the Left is extending support to the Centre.”

Addressing a gathering before kickstarting the jatha, he said “this is against the country's independent foreign policy” and hoped that the people of the country would realise the danger and extend support to the jatha.
Karat talks tough

Talking tough, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat,  meanwhile, bluntly told the government not to approach the IAEA for negotiations on the India-specific Safeguards Agreement before the proposed committee comes out with its findings.

“If the government takes any follow-up action to operationalise the deal, all steps to stall it would be taken,” he told party daily Deshabhimani.

CPI general secretary A B Bardhan, who is heading the jatha from Kolkata to Vishakapattanam, also said in Kolkata that if the government brushed aside concerns of the Left parties and went ahead with its original plan, it would have to face the music.

“The government will face the consequence if it goes ahead with operationalising the deal,” he said.
“The government will set up a committee, but we shall oppose the deal there also. However, we are ready for any talks at the same time,'” he told the Kolkata gathering.

War games
Meanwhile, the Left parties are likely to raise the issue of joint naval exercise involving the US in Parliament on Wednesday.

“We will raise this issue of joint naval exercise involving the US in Parliament on Wednesday as it implies Americanisation of our Army,” CPM MP Basudeb Acharia told Deccan Herald in New Delhi. 

The CPM also joined the row over pricing of gas to be produced from Reliance Industries' Krishna Godavari basin field, asking the government to reject the “artificially inflated” price proposed by the company.