Left helping BJP in ‘communalising’ N-deal: Govt

The govt has accused the Left parties of helping the BJP by giving a communal tinge to its opposition to the nuke deal.

With the ruling UPA battling for numbers to sail through next week’s trust vote, the government on Wednesday accused the Left parties of helping the BJP by giving a communal tinge to its opposition to the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

Accusing the Left of using BSP as a ‘link’ to connect with the BJP, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said in an interview “the irony is that the Left parties are making the nuclear deal as something against a particular community, which is very unfortunate and is taking the help of BSP in doing so.”

“The Communists have accused the government of keeping them in dark over the nuclear deal, whereas the government had taken their consent at every step. Their own publication – Left stand on the Nuclear — the notes exchanged in the UPA-Left committee on the India-US civil nuclear cooperation proves that they were always in the loop,” Ravi said.

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“When the government sought permission to negotiate the India-specific safeguards agreement with the IAEA, they knew that it would have to be finalised. Otherwise, why should you negotiate at all,” he asked.

Justifying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s stand on the contentious deal, Ravi argued that the UPA government was trying to end the nuclear isolation faced by India since the 1974 Pokharan test.

“We have atomic plants which would run out of fuel if we do not get nuclear fuel. Russia, France and UK are ready with their Uranium supply,” he said.