The Communist Party of India 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, the CPI made it clear that it was ready for a serious discussion in Parliament on the civil nuclear deal "with or without a 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 when asked his party's stand in case of voting on the deal as demanded by Bharatiya Janata Party.
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 Joint Parliamentary Committee. 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 United Progressive Alliance.
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.
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