Left parties, BSP take floor to sing chorus against N-deal

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New Delhi, Jul 21 : The CPI(M) and its new-found ally the BSP spoke in the same voice against the Indo-US nuclear deal and the UPA government during the debate on the vote of confidence at Parliament on Monday. Trying hard to give different reasons than the BJP against the deal, the CPI(M) told the Congress not to try opposing the communalism sitting in ‘‘Washington’s lap’’.

In his hour-long speech, CPI(M)’s deputy leader in the House, Mohammed Salim, said the UPA is trying to outsource the foreign policy of the country to the US. He also accused the ruling coalition of betraying the Left and Parliament on the nuclear deal issue.

‘‘The question is not just of trust, but the trustworthiness of the government. The UPA has lost its trustworthiness due to its deals. We had not supported the Government to go ahead with the nuclear deal, the IAEA safeguards agreement and strategic alliance with the US,’’ Salim, who spoke for the CPI(M) on Monday said. CPI’s leader of the House, Gurudas Dasgupta, also questioned the government’s decision to go ahead with the deal.

‘‘Our support was on the basis of a Common Minimum Programme. The UPA government must have realised that it was not a minimum programme with President Bush,’’ Salim added.

Challenging the argument that the Left is aligning with the communal forces to topple the government, he said the Congress failed to counter the BJP. ‘‘Please don't use soft Hindutva to counter Hindutva. Also you cannot check communalism sitting in the lap of Washington,’’ he said adding that the government has resorted to diplomatic process outsourcing to the US.

‘‘The performance of the government becomes fast when it comes to the nuclear deal,’’ the CPI(M) leader said bringing the issue of price rise and inflation into his deal. ‘‘Suicides of farmers are still continuing. The government failed to take any action. All of its attention went to clinch this anti-national deal,’’ he said.

‘‘Along with a wholesale deal, some retail deals are also taking place,’’ Salim said, taking a dig at the Samajwadi Party. This point was taken later by Brajesh Pathak who spoke on behalf of the BSP. ‘‘There are dealers behind the nuclear deal,’’ he said. ‘‘When the US itself has almost abandoned developing nuclear energy, why was the Indian government so keen on pursuing the deal,’’ he asked.