In a sudden change of rhetoric over the Indo-US nuclear deal, CPI(M) said the deal might go through, but the government would collapse if that happened. It added that if the next government needed CPI(M)?s support, the operationalisation of the deal would have to be stopped. The party stated that the IAEA safeguard agreement would not address the Left’s concerns on fuel supply, full civilian cocoperation and reciprocity.

??There are three options before the government. The government stays on and no deal and no government but nuclear deal and no government and no nuclear deal. Its up to the government to decide,?? CPI(M) politburo member and Rajya Sabha MP Sitaram Yechury said at the Indian Express Idea Exchange programme here on Wednesday. Interestingly, this could be for the first time CPI(M) is admitting that the nuclear deal can be saved if the UPA government sacrifices itself. Till the other day, the Left leaders were telling that they would be judged by history as ?traitors? if they supported the deal.

??The discussions are on with the IAEA. The government told us the safeguard talks will take into account these concerns, let us see what they come back with,?? the senior Left leader added. Yechury also said CPI(M) has objections with the ??pretext, text, context and the subtext of the nuclear deal.??

To a question on whether he would support a similar agreement with Russia, the leader said the Left’s problem was with the Hyde Act. “We are not against the people of the US. Our problem is with the Hyde Act. If Hyde Acts are not there we will support a deal with Russia, China or France,” he said.