The Hindu : Front Page : If India pursues deal CPI(M) will pull out, says Pandhe

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Monday, Aug 27, 2007
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If India pursues deal CPI(M) will pull out, says Pandhe

Special Correspondent

M.K.Pandhe

KOLKATA: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) “cannot continue to support the United Progressive Alliance government if it continues to proceed with the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal,” M. K. Pandhe, member of the party’s Polit Bureau told The Hindu here on Sunday.

“We would like the government to continue for the rest of its term but if it continues with the deal and goes into negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency then we cannot support it; we will be left with no other choice,” Mr. Pandhe said.

Debabrata Biswas, general secretary of the All India Forward Bloc, a Left partner of the CPI (M), told this correspondent here that “the situation had come to such a pass it was for the Congress now to ensure the survival of the UPA government.”

“No alternative”

“There is no alternative but backing out from the 123 agreement if the government has to survive…If the government ignores the warning the AIFB will be compelled to take stringent action against the government including withdrawal of support,” he said.

“Superfluous”

“Moreover, there is no need for further discussions between the Left parties and the UPA on the matter as is being proposed unless the government comes up with a categorical announcement that it will not proceed further with the nuclear deal. Till then such meetings are superfluous,” Mr. Biswas asserted. His party will convey this viewpoint to leaders of the other Left parties.The leadership of the CPI(M) had made its stand on the 123 agreement known and “the ball is now in the court of the Congress party”, Mr Pandhe pointed out.

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