Don't go to IAEA, Left warns Centre

The Left parties have asked the government not to go to the International Atomic Energy Association for follow-up talks on the Indo-US nuclear deal till a proposed committee comes out with its findings.

"This government is a minority government. It exists only with the support of parties like us. So, it should not go ahead with the agreement," Communist Party of  India-Marxist  general secretary Prakash Karat on Tuesday told a public meeting organised by the Left in Chennai in protest against the multi-nation naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal.

"Do not proceed with the agreement. When the agreement comes for debate in Parliament, you will find that a majority of members are against it," he warned.

"India should also not go to the International Atomic Energy Association to finalise the deal, but wait for the committee's decision," Karat said.

Launching an attack against the United Progressive Alliance for its "tilt" towards the United States in its foreign policy, he said this went against the Common Minimum Programme.

The CMP did not contain a single word about the strategic alliance with the US and the Left "would not have supported the UPA if there was such a word", Karat said.

 "If the deal is implemented, the US would begin "blackmailing" India to enforce its economic policies," Karat said.

The Left parties will go to the people and tell them that the government had failed to fulfil its commitment to the CMP," Karat added.

Karat said India's foreign policy had always been governed by consensus and non-alignment.

"But if the nuclear deal is through, it will break our foreign policy of 60 years.

"We are not against the people of America or against America as a country. We are against the imperialistic America, the most-hated Bush administration," he said.

US companies like Wal-Mart would come to India and the people of the country would be deprived of their livelihood," he claimed.

The government's stand that the deal would fulfil the country's energy needs was not correct, Karat said. Only three per cent of the country's energy needs were now met by nuclear power and even if the government said India would generate 20,000 MW of nuclear power by 2020, this would amount to only seven per cent of the total power needs," he said.

In Kolkata, CPI-M leader Jyoti Basu flagged off another rally to Visakhapatanam and accused the UPA of putting the country into the US fold. CPI general secretary A B Bardhan warned the government it would have to face the consequences if it ignored concerns expressed by the party.