Reconsider N-deal, CPI-M urges Govt

The CPI-M appeals to Manmohan Singh to reconsider the N-deal as the enabling bill on the issue passed by the US House has incorporated the Hyde Act.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to reconsider the Indo-US civil nuclear deal as the enabling bill on the issue passed by the US House of Representatives has incorporated the Hyde Act as well as other binding conditionalities.

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"The provisions of Hyde Act and other conditionalities are part of the deal. It's not late as the deal is yet to be signed. The government can still reconsider," CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat said on Monday during an interaction with women journalists in New Delhi.

Karat maintained that the bill holds no assurance of fuel supplies and is only a political commitment from US President George W Bush, who would be out of office after January 2009.

Karat, whose strident opposition to the India-US nuclear deal and the subsequent withdrawal of support by the Left Front to the United Progressive Alliance government led to the July 22 trust vote in parliament, said, “The prime minister has gone back on his commitment that he would come back to parliament before signing the deal with the US.”

The US House of Representatives Sunday passed the enabling 123 agreement and this is now headed for Senate approval. US Secretary of State Condolleeza Rice is due here oct 3 for putting the final seal on the India-US civilian nuclear deal.

“We are not against civilian nuclear cooperation, even with the US. A better way is going for a multilateral effort and signing similar agreements with Russia and France. The problem is that the passport the India-US deal has given us is an American passport and we do not want that,” Karat maintained.