Left parties to withdraw support to UPA by July 10

Forward Bloc General Secretary Debabrata Biswas says this is the unanimous decision of the four Left parties -- CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc.

Left parties would submit their letter withdrawing support to the UPA government by July 10 over the nuclear deal to President Pratibha Patil, after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returns from Japan, Forward Bloc General Secretary Debabrata Biswas said on Monday.

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Biswas, a Rajya Sabha member told reporters "This is the unanimous decision of the four Left parties -- CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc.

"The Congress-led UPA Government is committed to the US on the 123 Agreement surrendering national interest and sovereignty. The decision to withdraw support is unchanged," he said.

Biswas who spoke to CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat over telephone during the day, said the decision of the withdrawal of support would be irrespective of the reply from External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to the letter of the left parties.

He said, "Mukherjee might propose another meeting, but that will not change our decision."

Besides the issue of nuclear deal, the letter would also highlight rising prices and inflation as the reasons for the withdrawal of the support.

He said the four left parties would meet tomorrow to take stock of the situation and find a "political alternative".

The decision by the four Left parties to withdraw support to the Manmohan Singh government was a unanimous one, says Debabrata Biswas.